Birth of a Hero
by tyrannicpuppy
Summary: The story of the Founders of Hogwarts and their lives from birth to death. A story of life, love, hate, friendship, betrayal, hatred, and honour. !ABANDONED! My first fanfic.
1. Ray of Light

**A/N:** This is the first fic I ever attempted from way back when I had just discovered fan fiction in 2006.

As such it is full of the many and varied pitfalls I am sure we have most all been guilty of in our early works. Regardless I will still happily accept any input that you may have on the work. I shall not be giving this story the full overhaul that my others are receiving before posting. The only changes you may find from any other posted version of this story will come as I post them, I will be fixing any obvious spelling and grammar mistakes I encounter.

Officially this story is abandoned as I have long since had any new ideas to add to it. The story is incomplete and was meant to serve as the first part of a long stretching multi-part story stretching from the time of the Founders to beyond the End of Hogwarts. If this bothers you, I would ask you to give this one a miss as without extreme assistance from my flighty muse, this story shall never receive a satisfactory conclusion.

With that said, however, if you wish to continue, I hope that you enjoy my first steps and that it helps to prove that I have come a long way in my writing (or just how little it has changed, maybe I'm too close to see).

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, locations, etc. They are all property of J.K. Rowling and we should all be grateful for the amazing world she has given us._

* * *

 _Chapter 1 - Ray of Light_

* * *

The rain continued to pour as he angled the horse around the bend in the road, trying his best to protect that most precious cargo inside the carriage to his left. His wand drawn ready to strike at any who tried to get close to that carriage. Inside was that which he was most ill-prepared to lose, his pregnant wife. Their destination was now in sight, yet there were still several kilometres between them and their goal. He signalled to the driver of the carriage.

"Do not stop until the Lady is safely inside those walls!" he shouted, pointing to the castle. "Take her directly to Lord Hufflepuff."

The driver nodded and asked. "And what of you my Lord?"

Xavier merely stared at him and repeated, "Do NOT stop until you have her safely in that castle. No matter what happens to me!"

The driver sat contemplating what he meant, for only a moment before forcing the horses to accelerate on their course.

As the carriage pulled ahead, Xavier noticed movement to the right and directed his horse towards it, placing himself between the carriage and the disturbance. As he approached, he saw that there were two people standing in the shadows of the tree line discussing something. The assassins sent by his brother Thomas, to kill him and his wife. For Thomas wanted to rule these lands as Lord and the only way he could do this was to kill his brother. This was the very reason for their flight to Hufflepuff Castle, and Xavier would not allow them to stop that carriage. Once he was close enough to catch their attention, he leapt at them from his horses back.

" _Expelliarmus!_ " he shouted as he flew through the air towards the two.

The spell hit the smaller one squarely in the chest and flung them back as he struck the other full-bodied to the ground. He lost his wand in the collision but was successful in knocking the other's wand from his hand. The smaller one was up again and was searching for their wand while Xavier continued to focus on stopping the one already in his grasp. They continued to exchange blows as they rolled over the soaking wet ground. As he managed to pin the attacker to the ground a bolt of lightning struck a few hundred meters away lighting the foes face.

Xavier lay on the attacker, his eyes transfixed upon the face of his nephew Charles. The shock was evident on his face as he glanced at the smaller assassin and recognised the features as that of his niece, Belladonna, who had now recovered her wand and was stalking towards them. It hurt his heart to see that they were both as prepared as their father to commit murder in order to achieve their goals, he could not bring himself to kill the two and his brother had known that when he sent them after him. Charles used this momentary lapse in concentration to throw his uncle off him and began searching for his wand. Unfortunately, he threw Xavier straight onto his wand. Charles was focused single-mindedly on locating his wand so Xavier chose to deal with Bella first.

Bella struck first, " _Stupefy._ "

" _Protego_ ," yelled Xavier and the spell bounced from his magically reinforced shield and nearly struck Charles who ducked under the blast just in time and fell onto his wand. He slowly rose and swung to point his wand at the carriage.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ " Xavier watched as his niece collapsed to the ground unable to move.

" _INCARCEROUS!_ "

Xavier cursed himself for his single-minded pursuit of his niece, forgetting about Charles until it was too late. He felt the magical ropes bind him tightly and saw the ground rush up to meet his face.

" _Expelliarmus._ " He felt the wand fly from his hand again as he turned his broken face to the castle and was elated to see that the driver was leading his wife up the stairs to the open door where Lord Hufflepuff stood. He breathed a sigh of relief, the Hufflepuff's were the only wizarding family in the area, and he knew he could trust them to take care of his wife and child. As they disappeared inside, he noticed Charles was standing over him scowling at the same sight that now gave him solace. His nephew kicked him hard in the stomach before turning his wand upon him.

ϟ

Charles stood in the pouring rain, looking down the dead body of his uncle. He almost couldn't believe it. He had _killed_ his own uncle. The blood that was running from Xavier's broken nose and mixing with the rain was beginning to pool at his feet. He suddenly snapped out of this trance as his sister got up, now released from Xavier's spell, and yelled something at him.

"What?" replied Charles as he slowly looked over at Bella to see her pointing at the castle where several figures had just disappeared inside.

"We still need to finish that blasted wife of his you moron, now hurry up."

She started towards the castle and he gradually followed after glancing back at his uncle's body again. As Bella approached the castle, Charles saw her tap herself on the head with her wand and slowly she disappeared from the head down. He stopped at the point where she had disappeared unsure of what to do when he felt something hit him on the head as his sister cursed him.

"We can't be seen you fool!" and all of a sudden he had the sensation that someone had smashed an egg on his head and the cold trickles seemed to be running down his body from the point of contact. When he looked at his hands they had taken on the appearance and texture of whatever was behind them.

"Come on Charles," Bella hissed and he was suddenly pulled towards the guardroom entryway which led into the entrance hall.

She dragged him through the doorway closing it quietly behind them. The room they had entered into was a small guardroom. The guard had obviously forgotten to seal the door on his way back inside and was now sleeping in the seat by the archway.

" _Stupefy_ ," whispered Bella as she passed the guard. His only notable reaction was to stop snoring. They peeked out through the archway into the cavernous entrance hall of the enormous castle.

"Where do you think they are?" whispered Charles.

"I'm not sure. You try upstairs; I'll look around down here. If you don't find her in 30 minutes get out and back to fathers. And remember if you get caught you are on your own." she reminded him.

They stepped out into the hall and he continued upstairs. He heard some sounds to the right so he walked slowly down the corridor, keeping to the wall so as not to bump anyone. He approached the slightly open door where the sounds were originating. He peered inside and saw Lord Hufflepuff bent over a bed talking to the person laying on it. The doctor suddenly appeared at the door, swung it open and looked out to the right.

"Where the hell is Nicole? She better hurry up or Jennifer won't make it," he said as he looked straight through Charles.

"Just come back in here and help her or neither will make it," said Lord Hufflepuff.

 _Both?_ Thought Charles, _She must be pregnant. Father never said anything about that. But they don't think she will make. I might just wait and see what happens._

He crept slowly inside the room and waited in a corner where he could see all that transpired before him.


	2. Interrogation

_Chapter 2 - Interrogation_

* * *

The moment that he saw her he knew that they were in for a long night. She was already completely exhausted from the trip and he could tell that she would still have to give birth tonight. He turned to his servant Marcus.

"Quickly go and get James. Tell him that we have a heavily pregnant woman who is definitely going to be having her child tonight. Get him to meet us in the spare room on the first floor and to have everything ready."

Marcus nodded and swept back into the castle to find the doctor for his master. Lord Maximillian Hufflepuff watched as the driver of the carriage and his other servant Jimmy helped the woman up the stairs.

"Lord Gryffindor said to bring her straight to you and make sure that you alone received her." said the driver, as he reached Hufflepuff.

"Quickly bring her this way," and he led them through the entrance hall to the upstairs bedroom to find his doctor James and his assistant Nicole waiting in the room with some medical supplies. "Lay her on the bed then go and find your master and bring him here."

He watched as the driver ran back out into the hall and down the stairs before kneeling next to Jennifer and took her hand.

"Please Max. Don't let them get my baby. They must not get my baby!" she stated shakily.

"It's ok Jenny. No one is going to get near either of you. I promise. Your driver has gone to fetch Xavier, and James here is the best doctor in this area. You are going to be fine." he said to the terrified woman lying on the bed in front of him.

James looked at Jennifer and realised that she was in far too hysterical a state and that if she wasn't settled then she would almost certainly die during the birth.

"Nicole, go to the storeroom and get me some extra towels and some Vexenwelt Potion," said James.

"Why do you need the Vexenwelt Potion master?" asked Nicole glancing uneasily at James.

"Just do it Nicole or this woman is going to die!" he hissed quietly at her so as not to be heard by Jennifer.

She nodded and quickly turned and left the room and headed downstairs to the storeroom.

James began gently pressing a wet cloth to Jennifer's head in an attempt to settle her down a bit to try to avoid complicating the birth further.

They managed to settle Jennifer enough to put her into an uneasy sleep. After waiting for several minutes for Nicole to return though James walked to the door and looked out it.

"Where the devil is Nicole?" he said as he looked left towards the stairs "She better hurry up or Jennifer won't make it."

"Just come back in here and help her or neither will make it," said Lord Hufflepuff.

He walked back to the bed leaving the door wide open and continued pressing the damp cloth to Jennifer's forehead.

Suddenly Lord Hufflepuff jumped up.

" _STUPEFY_!" he yelled pointing his wand at the corner.

James watched in stunned silence as the flash of red light struck, not the wall as he was expecting, but something a metre or so in front of the wall which he could not see. They heard a thud as the object struck the floor.

Hufflepuff walked over to a strange wet spot on the floor and struck the object with his wand which immediately started to take the shape of a man.

"Where did he come from?" asked James.

"He must have come in when you were at the door before. Do you recognise him at all?" Hufflepuff asked James who had now joined him at the stunned man's side.

"I do." The two men jumped as they saw Jennifer had been roused during the scuffle and was now staring at the figure on the floor with a mixture of disbelief and hatred on her face. "He is Xavier's nephew." She continued.

"Well, in that case, James fetch me that chair. _Incarcerous_." He watched the magical ropes tightly wrap around the body. Then he lifted the man into the chair further securing him.

" _Enervate_." He watched as the figure awoke and struggled against the ropes.

"Lemmego!" spat the man.

"What are you doing here Charles?" asked Jennifer looking at him with disgust.

"I said let me go. My father will hear of this." Growled Charles still struggling to get free.

"Charles, is it, 'eh." Said Max staring at the man with his wand still in his hand. "Why don't you answer Jenny's question first 'eh. What are you doing here?"

When Charles still refused to answer Max nodded to James who ducked out the door and returned promptly with a small black vial which he gave to Max.

"Good James, now hold his head for a moment."

James complied allowing his master to pour some of the clear liquid into Charles' mouth and then made him swallow.

"Now I shall ask you again. What are you doing here?"

This time Charles shook for a moment before speaking slowly and clearly.

"My father sent me here to kill her and my uncle so he can take over as Lord." He said.

Suddenly the driver ran back in the door panting and suddenly stopped, staring at the scene before him.

"Did I miss something, Sir?" he inquired of Max.

"We have just located one of the assassins. Did you find Xavier? I would like him to be here for this."

"Yes and no my Lord. I found him outside near the trees."

"Well bring him here."

"I may require some assistance to do that, Sir."

"And why is that my boy?" asked Max, becoming increasingly annoyed with the way the driver was dawdling.

"He's dead, Sir."

The whole room grew silent as the driver said this. Suddenly Charles broke out laughing and they all turned to face him.

"Of course he is! I killed him." He claimed proudly. Then he began laughing again.

"Enough! Show some respect you evil little…" Max began and he started towards Charles raising his wand.

"No Max. Don't kill him." Begged Jennifer. "Not yet at least."

Max stopped where he stood.

"Is there anyone else here with you Charles?" she asked softly.

Charles stopped laughing almost straight away and they could tell that he was struggling against the Veritaserum.

"Yesss." He slowly drawled. "My sister Belladonna. She is downstairs."

" _Stupefy_." Said Max slowly stunning Charles once more. "You two stay here with her. I will go and find this Belladonna."

Both James and the driver nodded. Then Max quickly disappeared through the door and the room became very quiet for a few minutes. Suddenly Jennifer was experiencing massive abdominal pains which brought everyone's attention back to the situation at hand. Jennifer was having her baby; now.


	3. A Hero is Born

_Chapter 3 - A Hero is_ Born

* * *

As Max climbed back up the stairs he tried to figure out how he was going to tell his good friend what he had just witnessed. He had walked into the storeroom just in time to see Belladonna attacking poor Nicole and had used the distraction to his advantage, subduing Belladonna with a quick stunner before tying her up in the corner. Unfortunately, he was already too late to help Nicole, the gashes in her skin oozing her life's blood right out of her.

But as he walked back into the room and took in what was happening he forced the thought aside and ran to the bedside.

"What's happening?" he asked looking at James.

He sat there holding Jennifer's hand as James explained what had happened in his absence.

"A few minutes after you left she started having very bad contractions, however, she managed to have the baby without further problems. But because we did not get her the right potion before Jennifer is dying. It appears that Thomas has infected her with a strange poison. I believe it to be a form of diluted Basilisk venom."

"Dying? No, she can't die now she must raise her new child." He said fumbling for another reason that she must fight.

"Please Max," she whispered as she pulled him closer so that he could hear her, "promise that you will raise Godric for me. Promise that you will keep him hidden from his uncle or he will try to kill him as well. Any threat to his new power will be removed."

"I will protect him with all my power. I promise you that." He said and watched in silence as she lay back and the light left her eyes. He looked over towards the driver who now held in his arms a small baby boy that was looking at him with strange green eyes which graduated to blue in the middle.

He walked over to the driver and took Godric into his arms. As he did so he noticed that the boy had a small marking on his hands. When he looked closer he saw that it was a small birthmark which, when both hands were placed together side by side, made an image of a griffin.

"How unusual. Well Godric, it looks like you will be staying with me for awhile." The baby simply looked at him and giggled slightly.

Brave little fellow, he thought.

"James can you find Marcus and tell him to prepare a room for this little fellow to rest in."

James nodded and left the room. Max sat back down next to Jennifer so that her son could see her one last time before he was placed into hiding. 'But where can we hide him? With his parents dead there are no more wizarding families in this area capable of protecting him.'

At this point, James returned.

"Marcus has already taken the liberty of preparing a room for the child to sleep in. He has used the room four doors down from your own my Lord. And he has informed Louise that the child shall be her charge to care for."

"Thank you, James." He stated, gently rocking young Godric in his arms. As James started towards the door Max called to him. "Wait a moment James. I have some bad news for you."

"Yes my Lord?" inquired James turning to face his master, with an uncertain look on his face.

"The reason that Nicole never returned is that she had a run-in with the other assassin." He paused here trying to figure out how best to break this dreadful news to the man standing before him, "I am afraid that she is dead my friend."

James merely stood there, his gaze transfixed upon Max as the news sunk in.

"You're sure my Lord?" he said quietly, unable to comprehend that his only child lay dead downstairs.

"Yes, James I'm afraid she is. I saw her body with my own eyes." He tried to console his friend in his time of need but Godric was becoming restless in his arms. He then continued. "Go to your room for the night and I will see to it that her body is cleaned up and placed in her room. Only then will I allow you to see her. But for now, I must put this young one to bed. And so should you my friend."

They both stood in silence for a moment before James obliged walking from the room and retiring to his room. Max watched his friends retreating back before heading the other direction down the corridor towards Godric's new bedroom, which was directly opposite his own unborn child's room.

He gently laid Godric into the crib, which had been prepared for him.

"Well Godric, I hope that you will grow up to become a very powerful wizard and can enact revenge on your uncle for your parents."

With that, he departed to his office where he summoned several servants to him.

After several minutes there was a knock at the door and five servants entered to stand before his desk.

"Ah, very good," said Max as he looked up to see them all enter and continued.

"I have some very important jobs that you must complete for me tonight. Firstly, I want two of you to go down to the basement storeroom and retrieve the body of Nicole. You are to take her to the hospital wing and clean her up as best you can. Then return her to her room, dress her in some neat clothing and place her on her bed."

Two of the servants bowed before leaving for the basement.

"I need the two of you to go out into the grounds and collect the body of Lord Gryffindor. Ask Arthur, their driver to show you where he is. He should be in the servant's washroom. You are to bring Lord Gryffindor's body into the castle and place him in the spare bedroom on the first floor with his wife. Understood?"

Two more of the servants nodded then departed the room.

Max then turned to the last servant.

"I want you to go that bedroom on the second floor and clean up both Lord and Lady Gryffindor. They must be made ready for burial immediately. Now go."

Only once the servant had gone did Lord Hufflepuff allow himself to consider the events of the night and to finally grieve for the passing of many whom he considered friends.

After about half an hour, he became very drowsy and hauled himself out of the office and to his bedroom. Lying on the bed sound asleep was his pregnant wife, Alexandria. He gently climbed into bed next to her and ran his hands over her stomach feeling his child lightly kicking in its sleep. He soon fell asleep in this position thinking of the horrible fate of the great Gryffindors and what would happen to their now orphaned child.


	4. The Best of Friends

_Chapter 4 - The Best of Friends_

* * *

The next day Lord Hufflepuff was roused by a young servant named Jessica. She informed him that the tasks that he had set had all been completed and that breakfast was ready whenever he would like it. Alexandria had already had breakfast and was waiting for him in the bedroom in which the Gryffindors now lay.

He quickly dressed and briskly walked down to the bedroom of last night's tragedy. When he arrived, Alexandria was by the bed holding Jennifer's hand.

She looked up as he walked over to her side. He could see the lines running down her cheek where the tears had left traces of their sorrowful journey.

As he sat beside her she turned back to look at the bodies and began to cry again.

"I can't believe that she is gone," sobbed Alexandria "she was my best friend and now she is dead." She wrapped her arms around him as she wept with grief.

He pulled her close to him and simply sat there, holding her deeply in the warmth of his arms. They just sat there together as Alexandria slowly came to terms with her loss.

After several hours, she finally finished crying over the Gryffindors. Max gently lifted her from her seat and directed her slowly from the room. She was completely oblivious to where they were going until they arrived in the room opposite the baby's room.

"Max, what are we doing in here?" Alexandria enquired because with the shades closed she could not see the small figure lying in the crib.

"We are here so that you can honour the wishes of your friend."

He directed her towards the crib and once her eyes adjusted she gasped with surprise. Lying in the crib looking up at her with nothing more than curiosity was the son of her dear and now departed friend.

"What is his name dear?" She asked almost forgetting the two bodies over which she had just spent hours crying.

"Godric." He replied simply.

She reached down and gently lifted him from the crib; he simply lay in her arms eyeing her figure as if taking her in and began to giggle slightly. At this, she nearly dropped him because suddenly the baby had begun kicking.

Seeing that something was bothering Alexandria Godric stopped giggling until she regained her composure at which he again began to laugh. Again the kicking started as soon as the laughter, however, this time Alexandria was ready.

"Dear, I think that they like each other." She told her husband.

He suddenly eyed her warily, "what do you mean dear?"

"Every time that Godric here laughs the baby starts to kick." She gently sat in a chair in the corner and sat Godric over her stomach. As soon as he touched the surface the kicking started again and Godric sat there just feeling the young foetus kick.

"That's our child Godric, and I think that she likes you." At this, he simply looked up at her and smiled before gently curling up into her arms and drifting off to sleep.

ϟ

Fifteen years later Godric had grown into a rather adventurous young boy. He had grown quite tall and had a nice head of wavy blonde hair. His eyes had now settled and were a vivid blue. The marks on his hands had almost completely vanished and he had a rather well-developed body due to all the mischief he got up to. He was far too much trouble for one nanny to keep up with; however, on this particular day he had gotten away from both of his keepers and escaped outside.

As soon as he took the necessary hidden tunnel out of the castle, as he seemed to have located them all, he immediately went to the big oak. As soon as he got there he was greeted by a rather tall and pretty young girl with long brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

Helga, who was several months younger than Godric, greeted him by giving him a big hug before they scampered off towards the stables. They spent a lot of time outside together for they were the best friends that you had ever seen.

However, when they arrived at the stables they found it to be even busier than usual. This puzzled the both of them because usually, the stables were only busy when guests were due, but they knew of no guests coming to stay in the next few weeks.

"Maybe we should go inside and ask my father what is going on." Suggested Helga.

"No. It was harder getting away from Jessica and Louise today. If I go back inside I probably won't get back out. Besides, it will be more fun to find out ourselves." He stated with a large grin playing across his face.

With that, he slipped under the horse to his right, without waiting for the usual objection from Helga. He crept over towards the group of people rushing about. He quickly spotted Simon, the stable head. Gradually he came within earshot of the large man bossing everyone around in a rather stressed fashion.

"Come on people! At this rate, we will never be ready for them. They are due to arrive in a few minutes. Aaron. I thought I told you to put Princess back into her…" His voice trailed off as he walked further from Godric.

The young boy was unfazed by this though. He knew everything that he needed. Guests were arriving and soon. He quickly made his way back over to Helga without being seen.

"Quick follow me," he said pulling Helga along behind him as he headed for the main courtyard several hundred metres away. As they rounded the courtyard wall they saw a carriage, with four beautiful white horses pulling it, approach the front of the castle. They quickly hid behind a nearby tree which hid them from the castle doors where Lord and Lady Hufflepuff now stood while still giving them a good view of the carriage doors.

The driver of the carriage climbed off as it came to a halt and opened the doors. Godric then leaned out too far trying to see into the carriage and Helga's dad spotted them and called both Godric and Helga over.

Once they reached the castle doors Lord Hufflepuff said "Godric, Helga, these people are going to be staying for a few days. This is King John," a tall man with a strange ring on his head climbed from the carriage followed by a beautiful woman also wearing a strange ring on her head, "Queen Maeve and their daughter, Rowena." Godric was struck dumb as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen climbed from the carriage. She was slightly taller than Helga and had gorgeous long black hair and vivid green eyes. She wore a long blue dress and had a small silver ring in her hair like the other two figures.

"Pleased to meet you," she said, and then giggled as Godric simply stood there, too in awe to even speak.


	5. Levitations and Revelations

_Chapter 5 - Levitations and Revelations_

* * *

Late one night, shortly after the King had arrived, Godric found himself unable to sleep. All he could think about was Rowena. He wasn't even concentrating on his studies which had gotten him into trouble from Helga's dad.

He quietly got up and crossed the hallway to Helga's bedroom, intending to rouse her so that he could talk to her, however, found her already awake chanting something. Then when he looked harder he noticed that her teddy bear was no longer sitting on her bed with her but was floating in the air in front of her.

Taken by surprise Godric let out a sudden shout that caused Helga to cease chanting. Suddenly the teddy bear fell onto the bed again as if nothing had happened.

"What on earth?" gasped Helga as her eyes fell upon Godric.

"What do you think you are doing in here?" said a voice behind Godric as he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

Helga merely sat in her bed with a horrified look on her face as Godric was roughly escorted from her room. As stunned as he was by what he had seen, Godric still tried valiantly to free himself from the vice-grip now latched onto his shoulder that was dragging him from his best friend but had no success.

The hand suddenly let him go and as he turned to see who it was he noticed that he was once again back in his own bedroom. As he continued to turn the figure came into full view, and he found himself being bored into by a set of eyes that he did not recognise. Suddenly a flame burst to life on the candle in the hand of the figure casting her face into sharp relief. Godric gasped once more as he stared back at the face of Queen Maeve.

"Insolent Boy!" she pointed out then muttered something under her breath and Godric remembered no more.

ϟ

At first when he woke Godric couldn't work out where he was. Then he heard voices debating something to his right and when he slowly turned to look he saw Queen Maeve arguing with Helga's dad.

"What in Merlin's name was that little fool doing in there?" inquired Maeve.

"Maeve they are friends. They quite often wander about together and talk to one another. I assume that something was playing on Godric's mind so he was going to talk to Helga about it. I would have thought that was obvious." Replied Max in a tone that did not at all show any respect to the woman that he had instructed Godric to always be very respectful and polite towards or face the consequences.

"The more important question I think is what exactly did he see?" Max stated.

"I was teaching Helga to control her levitating abilities when he so rudely interrupted." She retorted.

"Well, I am sure that everything will be fine." Max calmly replied.

"And what makes you believe that?"

"Do you remember Lord Gryffindor at all?" he enquired.

"The name sounds familiar, why?"

"He and his wife were the only other magical family in this region; however they were killed fifteen years ago now. That boy over there is the only child of one of the most incredible wizards I have ever seen, not to mention the history of his mother's family, the Dumbledores. If I am correct in my assumptions, then that boy could well become the greatest wizard of all time. More famous and more powerful even than Merlin himself."

"You can't be serious. He has no magical aura that I can see." Scoffed Maeve.

"That's because it is very well concealed to protect him. But at times when he is focusing hard on something you can feel the energy emanating from him. Much like right now, hey Godric."

Godric felt his heart lurch in his chest and could feel two pairs of eyes staring at him. However, never one to hide in difficult situations, he got up and faced the two others in the room.

Maeve was staring at him in a very strange and menacing way, while Max was regarding him with a look of almost pure amusement.

"How long have you been awake?" demanded Maeve.

Godric held himself steady as he replied, "I am not sure your Highness."

"What did you hear?" asked Maeve as she continued to interrogate him.

"I heard you ask Lord Hufflepuff what I was doing in Helga's room at this time of night." He replied trying to remain calm while hoping that she could not hear how fast his heart was thumping inside his chest.

Max giggled "It appears that your sleeping charm may need some work Maeve if a fifteen-year-old with no training at all can throw it off within minutes."

She merely glared at Max before turning back to Godric. "Well then seems you are awake, what exactly were you doing in Helga's room?"

Godric hesitated slightly before answering, "I couldn't sleep and when I got up to go for a walk I saw a light coming from underneath Helga's door. So I thought that I would go and talk to her for a while." He stated, not giving away the reason for his lack of sleep.

Maeve's expression did not change but Max looked at him as though he could see straight through him right to the source of his discomfort and restlessness. Almost like he could read Godric's mind. But the look passed within moments.

"Excuse me, sir, but who is Merlin?" asked Godric unable to quell his curiosity even under such touchy circumstances.

At this Max simply couldn't contain his laughter any longer and began to laugh so hard that he needed to sit down in his chair. Until this moment Godric had not realised that they were in Helga's dad's office about four doors away from his own bedroom. Now he could understand why Helga's dad had been so amused by him recovering so quickly from the strange sleep he had been in.

"Now is not the time Godric." Said Max when he had recovered, "I think that you should return to bed. And this time stay there asleep or not."

"Yes, sir." Replied Godric simply. He bowed and departed, heading back to his bedroom.

Once back in his bed he thought that there would be no way that he would get to sleep with all of that running through his mind but within moments of blowing out the candle, he was fast asleep.

ϟ

When he woke up again, he knew that the first thing he must do is find Helga and find out what had happened last night, and was extremely startled to find both Helga and her father sitting at the end of his bed silently watching him.

"Ah, you are finally awake. We were beginning to worry there." Said Max looking rather relieved.

"What do you mean finally? I have only asleep for a few hours." Said Godric completely confused by the way they were acting.

"Actually it has been more like a few days. Eight to be precise. It seems she did a good job on the charm after all." Max chuckled to himself.

Suddenly Helga was sitting next to him on the bed hugging him.

"Thank God you are alright. I was so worried." She said to him.

"Look, Helga, about last ni… I mean the other night…"

At this Max cut him off. "Not just yet Godric. I promise that you will receive answers shortly but right now you need to eat. Alright?"

Godric nodded.

"And then I would like you to come to my office. We need to talk about something. Okay?"

"Yes, sir," Godric replied dejectedly.

As Helga and Max left his room Godric got out of bed and began dressing for breakfast, whilst trying to comprehend what was going on. Unable to do so he resigned himself to going to breakfast. Unsurprisingly there was no one else there when he arrived. He sat down and ate the food that had been left on the table for him and then trudged his way up to Lord Hufflepuff's office.

When he stepped inside he found Max and Helga again waiting for him.

"Please Godric sit." He said softly. "Now I believe that you have some questions that you would like to ask. I shall try to answer them to the best of my ability but some things must still remain secret for a little while longer. Do you understand?"

Godric nodded as he sat opposite the two.

"Well, fire when ready my dear boy," Max stated quietly preparing himself for the flood of incoherent questions that were about to bombard him.

However, Godric simply sat there for a moment before simply asking, "well I guess what was Helga doing the other night?"

"I believe it was a rather simple matter of levitation." Replied Max, slightly taken aback by the young man's calmness after what had happened.

"What is levitation, sir?"

"It is a simple skill that allows you to make an object float and, even in some events, fly."

"And why was I asleep for eight days?" inquired the child becoming emboldened enough by the answers that he was receiving to lower his usual cautiousness slightly and ask more daring questions.

"That my dear boy was an accident. I believe that in some way you lowered the effectiveness of the spell placed on you by Queen Maeve enough to wake during our… discussion. However, it seems that the strain on your untrained mind left you drained so much that the simple charm ended up affecting you for eight days before wearing off. Do you understand?"

"A little, sir. But what do you mean by the spell?"

"As in a magical spell, silly." Giggled Helga, which caught Godric slightly off guard as he had forgotten that she was there.

"I'm not sure I understand that part," Godric stated. "There is no such thing as magic is there?"

"Yes Godric; there is. However, it is very uncommon for a person to be magical and as such most of mankind fears magic as though it is hell itself. It seems that it is quite a family trait so far but due to the touchy nature of the subject not much is known for certain."

"So are you magical as well then sir?" asked Godric once again feeling some of the boldness creeping back.

Max chuckled softly before answering., "Yes Godric. Both me and Helga's mother are magical, and as I'm sure you now have guessed so is Helga."

"And so is Queen Maeve!?" enquired Godric excitedly.

Max hesitated slightly before confirming his outburst with a simple, "Yes."

"So does that mean that Rowena and the King are as well?" he asked.

"No." replied Max firmly. "The King himself is in fact a muggle and has no idea that his wife is magical. And he must not find out!"

"I'm sorry sir. What is a muggle?"

"It is a non-magical human being." Stated Helga matter-of-factly.

"And what about Rowena?"

"Her mother performed a standard test that usually reveals whether or not someone is magical but it did not show anything that would indicate she is anything more than a muggle like her father."

Max noticed the change that passed momentarily over Godric's face, so he decided to draw his mind from the subject.

"There was however another pair of magical folk in this region."

At this Godric looked back up inquisitively.

"They were quite good friends of mine until they died a few years ago."

At this, he gave Helga a sideways glance which meant it was time for her to go. She jumped up and hugged Godric before saying farewell and going off to the library where her tutor was waiting.

"You unfortunately never got to know these people for they both died the night you were born." Max stated remorsefully.

"Why would I have known them, sir?"

"Because the two that I refer to, are your parents, Xavier and Jennifer Gryffindor."

Suddenly Godric felt his mind searching for any memory of the night of his birth. He found something. A beautiful woman holding his hand while Max held him in his arms. He could feel a strong presence from the woman but it quickly faded as she closed her eyes and lay back.

When he opened his eyes to find Max just sitting across from him waiting, he could feel the tears slowly running down his cheek. He had only known his mother for a few moments before she was taken from him.

"How did they die?" he asked defiantly refusing to let the despair he suddenly felt control him.

"Your mother died due to a… complication during the birth. And your father was…"

"Yes?" demanded Godric, Max could see the fire burning in Godric's blue eyes as he yearned for information regarding to those whom he would never now know.

"He was murdered. By one very close to him."

"Who!?" asked Godric firmly. Max could almost feel the coldness in the young man's voice and knew that he could not burden him with that information just yet.

"I am truly sorry Godric but I cannot tell you that just now. Please forgive me. I promise that you will know when the time is right."

Looking at the child before him taking the news that he would never know his own family because they were either dead, too far away to even know he exists or were part of the murderous batch that put him into this mess; it just broke Max's heart as he began to sob out of pity.

"Don't cry for them, sir." Said Godric plainly. "I will see them eventually. But I swear here and now that that shall not be until I have found those responsible for this horror and have punished them accordingly."

When Max looked upon the boy in front of him, he could see the heart of a true Gryffindor looking at him through those great blue eyes. He could tell that this was not an idle threat but a solemn oath that Godric would complete not for revenge but for the good of the many obviously affected by the traitorous acts that had occurred that night.

This sudden maturity and determination faded from Godric's face as quickly as it had come as he returned quickly into the inquisitive young child that he had been before the news.

"So does that mean that I am magical as well sir?" he asked excitedly.

"I am willing to bet my life on that Godric. But for now I think that this will have to suffice." He said as Godric opened his mouth to ask another question. "Too much information at once can be dangerous if one is not properly prepared for it. Now go and have some fun outside. I want you to return here tomorrow morning and we will discuss this matter a little further."

"Yes sir. And thank you sir."

"For what Godric?"

As Godric stood up and walked to the door he turned and said, "For honouring my mother's wishes and raising me as your own son."

And with that he left the room leaving Max to sink back into his chair, his mind stirring with so many thoughts that it felt it would explode.


	6. The Best Day

_Chapter 6 - The Best Day_

* * *

There was a mass of thoughts running through the young Godric's mind as he left Lord Hufflepuff's office. Many things now made perfect sense. This explained why Helga had looked so tired since the King's arrival and why some things around the castle behaved the way they did. Like that door on the fourth floor that was there sometimes and absent at others.

He had heard stories of witches and wizards but he never thought he would actually see one. He continued walking oblivious to those around him and where he was going until he found himself outside at the big oak at which he and Helga usually met after they had snuck out.

As he approached it he noticed a pair of legs sticking out past the tree. Sitting on the other side of the tree, reading a rather large book, was Rowena. She looked radiant with the bright morning sun glinting off her shiny hair as the gentle breeze made it dance about her face. Godric grinned as she managed to continue reading despite the many distractions that would have had him chasing them around.

"Hello," he said startling her out of her single-minded focus on the text in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"That is alright, I will go if this is your spot."

"No, please don't go. It would be nice to have someone to talk to." Godric pleaded.

"Sure I'll stay. What is your name?"

"I'm Godric. Godric Gryffindor. I live in the castle, Lord Hufflepuff is training me as his apprentice."

"Really? That sounds like it would be great. I am usually forced to stay inside and study all day."

"Well it is good but there are a lot of studies I have to do too. But I do get to do a lot of interesting things too. Hey, do you want to see something?"

"Definitely. My name is Rowena by the way."

"Oh I know who you are," Godric blurted.

"Excuse me?" inquired Rowena looking confused.

"Well I ah, saw you arrive the other day." Mumbled Godric.

"Ah yes I remember you now. You're Helga's friend. Where is she?"

"Helga had to go to her tutoring. She should be out again soon. She will probably find us. Come on."

Godric led Rowena around the castle toward the large meadow where the workers lived. However just as Rowena thought they were going to the worker's hut Godric quickly looked around and led her over toward the forest that skirted the meadow. As they reached the forest he stopped abruptly and turned to Rowena.

"You can't tell anyone about what I am going to show you. You must promise that before we go any further." Godric stipulated.

"Of course. Are we going in there?" she inquired pointing toward the forest.

"Yes. It's not far in though. And nothing in there will harm us. Now follow me closely. I don't want you to get lost."

With that, he slowly pushed past the first ring of trees and moved into the forest.

ϟ

They walked straight into the forest for several minutes before stopping.

"Wait here a moment," Godric instructed. "I just need to make sure we are in the right spot."

Rowena stopped next to the biggest tree they had seen since entering the forest and watched as Godric disappeared from sight. Suddenly she heard strange footsteps. It sounded like an animal approaching. Rowena began to get very scared and started to wonder where Godric was. The noise came closer and closer until she could swear they were on the other side of the tree.

Suddenly she felt something on her arm and she screamed as she turned to see her attacker.

"It's ok Rowena, it's just me." Said Godric, once again looking very distressed at having scared her. "Here give me your hand and close your eyes."

She slowly stood up and took his hand. Then very reluctantly closed her eyes. This time, however, she wasn't scared at all. It was like Godric was calming her down by just holding her hand. He gently led her through some more trees until he stopped and she felt him lifting her hand. She felt what felt like a horses pelt underneath her fingers and it felt like it was warming her up as he told her to open her eyes. She gasped at what she saw. Standing in front of her was a family of unicorns.

"Oh my lord." She breathed. "Are they what I think they are Godric?"

He smiled broadly at her before nodding and asking "Do you like them?"

"Oh yes." She replied instantly, "but are they safe," she asked, again feeling slightly afraid again as Godric let go and walked towards the smallest golden one.

"Of course they are, especially towards girls." He reassured her, beckoning her towards them.

She slowly allowed her feet to carry her toward the small one Godric was now petting gently. Slowly her hand stretched out and landed gently on the soft glowing fur. The moment her hand touched the unicorn she felt happy and safe, and she could feel a strong energy running through her fingers.

"It's incredible." She mouthed.

"They really are fantastic. Helga and I found one out in the meadow when we were about eight. It had been chased from the forest by a wolf. Thankfully we had brought the bow with us and I shot the wolf. The unicorn played with us for a while before leading us back here to its family. Now anytime we want we can come here and see them. You are the first person we have ever told."

She looked at Godric dumbstruck. He seemed so mature and brave even though he was only a year or two older than her. She felt so comfortable around him, like something about him radiated peace.

Then a large white unicorn walked over towards them.

"This is Galfur." Said Godric walking over and patting him on the nose. "He is the one that we saved from the wolf. And the one you are patting is called Ulwing. The other two foals over there are Havern and Firclax. And the mother over there is Wrentu."

"They are all so beautiful."

"Yes." Said Godric looking at Rowena. "Everything here is beautiful."

Rowena blushed at his comment and turned away.

ϟ

They spent most of the day sitting around in the unicorn's clearing talking and laughing together. The clearing seemed to have become magical just in the presence of the unicorns. Soon Godric found himself sitting next to Rowena watching her gently snuggle up to Havern.

She looks so beautiful, he thought to himself as he slowly reached out and held her hand. She turned to him and smiled.

"Thank you for bringing me here Godric. It's lovely." She giggled as he blushed at her statements.

"Don't mention it." He felt himself strangely drawn to her, but he didn't know why. He had never felt this way before. He liked her just like he liked Helga, but something was different with Rowena.

All of a sudden she turned back towards him and kissed him deeply on the lips. Godric was too stunned to do anything for a moment but he soon began to kiss her back. It was the most incredible thing he had ever felt. Her lips were so soft and warm. Everything else around them seemed to vanish. Nothing mattered but what he was feeling right now.

Suddenly they heard something else approaching and they broke apart. The unicorns didn't appear to notice anything. Godric stood and moved toward the edge of the clearing. His only desire right now was to protect Rowena from whatever was coming. Then the figure of Helga popped through the trees and he breathed out relieved.

"Here you are!" she exclaimed looking at Godric. She hadn't noticed Rowena sitting over near Wrentu. "I have been looking everywhere for you."

"Well we were bored and so we came here to talk to Galfur." He said as Rowena stood up and walked over to Helga.

"What do you mean we?" she inquired.

Godric giggled before pointing Rowena out to Helga. Helga nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Rowena standing behind her.

"Oh, my. Hello Rowena." She said politely. "Godric can I speak to you please."

She moved over to the edge of the clearing as Rowena went back to patting the unicorns.

"Godric you can't bring her here. Her father is a muggle!"

"So, we both know that her mother isn't."

"Yes but she has shown no signs of being magical either." Retorted Helga.

"Neither have I yet your father believes that I am."

"That is different. Look at your parents, they were two of the greatest magical beings in history."

"Well, I don't care. I like her and I wanted to show her. She promised that she wouldn't tell." He stated crossing his arms and just staring at Helga until she gave in.

"Oh, Godric. You are too trusting. I suppose that there is nothing we can do now anyway. But it's on your head." Helga grumbled knowing that when he got like this you could never change his mind.

Godric smiled and walked back over to Rowena.

Helga walked over and sat with them. She didn't seem to notice Rowena holding Godric's hand.

"So Rowena what do you think?" Helga asked.

"They are wonderful. Are there more unicorns in your forest?" she exclaimed excitedly.

"What do you mean my forest? My father may have a deed that claims ownership, but he gave the forest to the animals. I don't think he realises that there were unicorns in here though."

Godric just laughed at this. "There are more than unicorns here though. The other day I was in here with your dad and we came across a pack of centaurs. And I was sure I saw a dragon fly overhead."

The two girls seemed shocked at the thought that there might be dragons in the forest.

"I think we should head back to the castle." Said Rowena looking a bit scared.

"It's ok," said Godric gripping her hand tighter. "We are perfectly safe here."

As he gripped her hand Rowena again felt the fear leave her as though Godric had pushed it from her.

"That may be true Godric but it is very late. Father will be worried if we stay out too much longer." Helga pointed out.

"Alright we will go," he mumbled dejectedly, "Bye guys." He said to the unicorns.

Then they all started walking back through the trees towards the meadow. Galfur walked alongside them until they reached the edge of the forest then he turned back and galloped off.

Only once they were walking across the meadow did Helga notice that Godric and Rowena were holding hands.

"What is going on there hey Godric?" she whispered in his ear.

"I will tell you later." He whispered back as Rowena smiled at him.

ϟ

As they arrived back at the castle they noticed a large black carriage out the front. As they neared the front doors they could hear raised voices coming from a nearby room. They snuck over to the door and listened.

"How dare you insult me like that Max. I was as devastated at his death as you were, but I couldn't just ignore the fact that our region now had no Lord." Exclaimed a strange voice.

"Don't lie to me, Thomas. We both know that you were responsible for their deaths. It was the only way you could escape your brother's shadow!" replied Helga's dad.

"His shadow?! I am and always have been twice the wizard Xavier ever was."

"Yes, that is why you sent your children to do your dirty work for you. You knew that in a fight one on one Xavier would have killed you in moments!" retorted Max.

"I shall not stand here and be insulted by you anymore. I am leaving and don't think I shall ever be returning."

They heard footsteps approaching the door and they hid to avoid being seen as the door was flung open.

"You have made a great mistake this day Max." declared Thomas.

He was very tall with long black robes and thick dark hair. As he turned and stormed out, they could see his dark hollow eyes. Godric felt a great swell of hate towards this man but he didn't know why. Thomas marched through the front doors, climbed into the carriage and left.

"Good riddance." Said Max, as he left the room. He stopped halfway across the hall and turned. As he walked back towards the room he had just come from he saw the three figures hiding behind a large column. "Oh dear. I think you should all come in here." He indicated the open door.

They slowly shuffled into the room and Max closed the door.

"How much did you hear?" He inquired softly.

"We heard him saying that you had insulted him somehow. But Sir, who was that?" replied Godric, inquisitive as ever.

Max sighed before continuing. "That would be your uncle, Thomas Gryffindor. He is the Lord of the neighbouring region."

"My uncle. But why was he here?"

"He wanted me to join with him in taking another region by force so that he could rule it as well. He has always been obsessed with power. He became Lord after your parents died."

"He was responsible wasn't he?" Godric asked calmly.

"Yes." Rowena and Helga gasped loudly but Godric just sat there as though nothing had happened. Max was worried about how well Godric seemed to be taking all of this.

"Very well. Do you mind if I go now?"

"Actually I would like you to stay for a moment. Girls, can you leave us, please. And I mean a little further away than the other side of the door this time."

"Okay, father." Said Helga, as she and Rowena stood up and walked to the door. "We will be in the library Godric."

Godric nodded to the girls as they closed the door and walked upstairs. Max waited until he was sure they were gone before continuing.

"So Godric you took Rowena to see the unicorns."

At this news, Godric seemed shocked. "How did you know that?"

"I saw you both talking at the oak tree then later I saw you all leave the forest and I saw the unicorn standing next to you." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Please don't hurt the unicorns, they are our friends." Godric blurted. They had feared that if the others found out about the unicorns they would poach them for their magical properties.

"Don't worry they won't be harmed. I will promise that. Now I also saw something else."

Godric swallowed hard at this.

"I do believe that I saw you and Rowena holding hands. You do realise that there is no way that her father will allow you to be together. It is unheard-of, an apprentice marrying a princess."

"I know that but I can't help it. I really like her. What can I do?"

"For now do nothing in front of her father. If he finds out he may well behead you. I will see what I can do. And another thing. If my hunch turns out to be right, and you are in fact a wizard he will hate you even more, so I want you to try your best, no matter what is said, to control your emotions around him. Alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. You may go. But remember, be careful."

Max sat and watched as Godric left the room. There was no way that he could use magic to change the king's mind on this subject. But seeing Godric like this was terrible. "If only she were a witch this would be so much easier." He said to himself.


	7. Gryffindor's Triumph

_Chapter 7 - Gryffindor's Triumph_

* * *

Godric walked slowly towards the library to meet back up with the girls. His mind was abuzz with thoughts for the second time today. How could he possibly be with Rowena? As he arrived at the library he noticed the girls sitting by the fire chatting excitedly. He decided to creep over slowly. When he reached Helga's chair he suddenly jumped and yelled surprise. The two girls squealed with fright before both running over and hitting him for doing that.

"That was really mean Godric." Said Rowena playfully.

"Yeah, you are such a bully sometimes." Chimed Helga.

"Well my most humble apologies ladies," he said bowing as low as he could before they tackled him to the ground.

The three rolled around on the floor for several minutes before they were interrupted by someone standing over them.

"Miss Rowena, your father would like to see you." Said the servant, before bowing and backing towards the door.

"Well, I guess I will see you both tomorrow. I hope."

As Rowena left the room Helga got up and walked back over to the chairs in front of the big fireplace.

"So Godric. What happened today?" she inquired now that they were alone.

"What do you mean?" he said, playing dumb.

"You know what I mean. What happened between you two today that has you holding hands?"

"She was happy to see the unicorns." Said Godric patronisingly.

"Come on Godric. You can tell me. I thought we were friends."

"Now, now there is no need to resort to those sorts of tactics."

"Well…"

"Well after I left your dad, I ended up at the oak where she was reading a book. We talked for a bit then we went to see the unicorns. I think that they made me happy enough to show her that I liked her and well…"

"Go on…" Helga pleaded.

"She… kissed me."

At this, he blushed and turned to stare at the fire.

"Really?" asked Helga, slightly taken aback by the news. "That is great."

"What?"

"Well I know that she liked you, we were talking about it the other day while you were asleep. Speaking of which why were you in my room the other night?"

She was now looking at Godric very strangely.

"Well, I couldn't sleep. You know how it is sometimes. Remember that time we snuck out at midnight and spent the night on the roof. Your dad went nuts when he found us."

"Well, we were only four years old at the time. I still don't know how we got up there. One minute we were at the window and then the next we were on the roof." She giggled at this but soon regained her train of thought. "But you skirted my question. Why couldn't you sleep?"

He had known that she would ask this. But he wasn't sure he could talk about it. He wasn't even sure he could have talked about it that night.

"Come on Godric, tell me."

"Alright. I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about; Rowena."

"I knew it. I wasn't sure at the time because I was a little surprised but I knew that was why. I saw the way you looked at her the day she arrived."

"You have to promise not to tell anyone ok. If her dad finds out he will forbid me to see her."

"Of course I won't tell. But I don't want you to hold back around her on my account. Is that what my dad wanted to talk to you about?"

"Yeah. And he knows about the unicorns too. But he promised that no-one would harm them."

Helga merely nodded and stared into the flames. They both just sat there in silence for a long time before they both fell asleep where they sat.

ϟ

"How could he possibly refuse me? The fool. He doesn't know what he has just gotten himself into."

Thomas stormed back and forth in his office in front of his fireplace. He had made many modifications to the castle since he took it over all those years ago. Instead of the red and gold that was decked throughout the place in his brother's days, now there was black, silver, and green.

"Maybe there is some way that you could force him to agree my Lord." Said the small child in front of him.

"What?"

"Well, you are the most powerful wizard I have ever met my Lord. Surely Hufflepuff would be no match for you."

Thomas looked at the child. He had lived here for nearly eight years now. His parents had requested that he be trained here by Thomas in the ways of magic for his own parents were too heavily surrounded by muggles to do it themselves. He had only taken the child in because the Slytherin's had a history of producing great wizards. They, like the Gryffindors, were one of the first wizarding families.

"You are learning fast Salazar. However, I don't believe that I could use magic to force him whilst the king is staying at his castle. No, we shall need to use more conventional methods to achieve our goals for now. But soon we shall be ready."

"Yes my Lord."

With this Salazar left the room leaving Thomas to his pacing.

ϟ

Godric woke with a start later as someone was standing over him. The fire had died down a lot and he couldn't see the face of the person in front of him. Then he smelt something and knew exactly who it was. He grabbed Rowena and pulled her down onto the seat with him. Her squeal woke Helga in the other seat.

"Oh hello, Rowena." Yawned Helga drowsily. "What time is it?"

"It is nearly midnight." She replied. "Have you both been here since I left?"

"Yeah. We just weren't having as much fun without you." Joked Godric.

"Oh, you are too much sometimes Godric." Teased Rowena.

"So what did your father want?" inquired Godric as she snuggled into his arms.

"I can't tell you. You will just have to wait until tomorrow." She smirked.

"Oh come on Rowey. Please…" Godric bated his eyebrows at her causing her to burst out laughing.

"No, really I can't tell you. But I promise you will know by noon tomorrow."

They all fell silent for a while and just sat there in the warmth of the fire. Godric wrapped his arms around Rowena and pulled her close to him. He sat there basking in the warmth of the beautiful girl now sitting on top of him.

"How big is your library Helga?" asked Rowena suddenly.

"Um. I'm not sure why."

"It just seems so huge. Father doesn't believe that books are that important so we only have a very small one at home."

"Well feel free to roam through our shelves to your heart's delight darling." Purred Godric.

Rowena merely punched him gently in the chest and they all giggled.

"You know we all really should head to bed." Chided Helga. "Dad won't be happy if we spend the entire night here."

"But I am so comfortable," begged Godric.

At this, they all began laughing again and seemed to decide they would stay here together all night.

ϟ

When Godric awoke the next morning, Rowena was still wrapped his arms, however, Helga was nowhere to be seen. He gently roused Rowena. As her eyes slowly flickered open he stared deep into her emerald globes and soon found himself kissing her again. The kiss lasted for quite a while and only ended when Helga cleared her throat behind them.

"Oh good morning Helga." Said Rowena blushing slightly.

"Good morning. Did you both sleep well?" teased Helga.

"Now, now Helga, be nice." Joked Godric. "Where were you?"

"Oh, I was just looking for a book. My dad was here earlier. He had a message for you but you two seemed so comfortable he didn't want to wake you. He said that when you are ready he would like you to meet him down at the stables."

"Why does he want me to meet him at the stables? He said we were doing theory work for the next few weeks." Said Godric.

"Well, I guess he changed his mind. Come on lets head down there." Encouraged Rowena.

"Ok, but we should get changed first. I'll meet you both back here in ten minutes."

"Agreed." Said the girls.

ϟ

Ten minutes later Godric stood back outside the library wearing his usual red cloak and boots over the dull golden tunic he wore when he went out with Helga's dad. He saw Helga approaching wearing her favourite long yellow dress. He jumped as Rowena grabbed him from behind while he was distracted and Helga and Rowena both laughed at his reaction.

When he turned to yell at her he stopped short as he saw her in a long and flowing yet figure-hugging pale blue dress.

"Wow." Was all he managed to say sending the girls into another laughing fit. "Stop it. We need to get downstairs. Come on."

They gradually made their way downstairs and out to the stables. They saw several people standing at the door at the far end but couldn't make them out. They headed towards the group but stopped when they saw who was there. Lord Hufflepuff stood talking to the King who was in full hunting gear.

"Ah, here you are Godric." Said Max looking at him knowingly. "The King has a surprise for you."

"For me, sir? I am honoured." Said Godric trying his best to remember his manners.

"I am impressed by what Lord Hufflepuff has said about you. I would like you to come with me today on a hunt. When we get back I may have some good news for you." Said the King.

"You want me to go on a hunt with you, your highness?"

"That is correct yes. Does he have the necessary equipment, Max?"

"It is all ready to go on over there. I shall join you soon, but I have a small matter I must attend to first. I shall catch up with you." Said Max.

"Very good. Hello there Helga. How are you this morning?" Asked King John, just noticing Godric's company.

"I am very well thanking you, your majesty," she replied.

"Good, good. And there is my lovely daughter. Have you been enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, father. I have made two very good friends here."

"Excellent. Well Godric, let's not waste the day. Grab a horse and we shall depart."

At this King John walked out of the stables towards a small group of horses outside.

"Well, I guess I will see you two later." He said rather worriedly.

"Don't worry Godric, you will be fine," said Rowena kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks. Have fun." He replied.

He walked over to where the king was deciding which horse he would take. He wanted to ride the large brilliant white one but it wouldn't even let the stable hand near it to place the saddle on its back.

"Come on boy don't be afraid. Show him who is boss." Ordered the King.

"I can't your highness. He just won't calm down." Replied the stable boy looking very distressed.

Godric walked over and took the saddle from the boy.

"Here let me try." He said as he walked towards the fiery horse.

It began bucking about and neighing in fear as he approached. He sat the saddle on the ground and walked closer to the distressed animal. It seemed to calm as he approached and when he reached out to pat it, the horse began neighing happily.

"Well, I guess if he likes you so much you should ride that one." Said the King amazed at how well Godric had calmed the beast.

Godric gently prepared the horse and mounted the saddle. The King chose another, tamer looking horse and began to ride off towards the forest. Godric caught up with him quickly. The horse he was riding seemed to obey his very thoughts. He found himself barely using the reins as the galloped across the fields toward the darker forest.

"So Godric, have you been on many hunts before?" inquired the King.

"Ah, no your majesty. Just once before this."

"Max says you are very good with a bow though. And outstanding with a sword."

"Well, I practised almost daily with both as I grew up. I felt that I would need to know how to use both someday."

"Very good. I like the way you think boy."

Godric smiled at this as they continued riding. Max caught up with them just as they got to the edge of the forest.

"Well, here we are." He said as he pulled alongside Godric.

"Ah, Max. I thought you would have taken a little longer."

"Well, the matter wasn't too much trouble to handle. So what exactly are you after today your highness?"

"I wasn't sure actually. I was thinking that we could just go on a bit of a general hunt. Whatever we come across."

Suddenly Godric saw a flash of brilliant white up ahead. He realised that the unicorns must be in this part of the forest today. He knew he had to think of a way to keep the King from killing or even seeing them.

"Your majesty, why don't we head further south. When I was exploring in here the other day I saw a mighty large deer down that way. It would make a fine trophy for you to take back to your castle." He said quickly trying to distract the King.

"Very well then. Sounds good to me. Lead the way Godric." Said the King.

Godric took the lead and lead them several kilometres south wishing that the unicorns would stay away until the King was finished. As they rode along Godric spotted some normal animals in the forest and decided that this should be far enough. He turned sharply into the forest and the two adults nearly rode straight past.

Now the King once again took the lead as they rode slowly through the forest. Up front, the King and Lord Hufflepuff were discussing things for which Godric cared not when he suddenly saw a huge deer off to the side. Both the adults seemed so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed.

Godric slowed the horse and strung an arrow on his bow. He carefully took aim and fired the arrow so closely past the King that he nearly had a heart attack. He glared momentarily at Godric before looking to where the arrow now lay. He gasped as he saw that Godric had pierced the deer, which he had never even seen, straight through the heart.

"My god that was amazing. Did you teach him to shoot like that Max?" he exclaimed dumbstruck at the accuracy with which Godric had struck.

"Me no. I wish I could claim credit for that. Godric taught himself how to handle both a bow and a sword." Said Max looking at Godric with an amazed grin.

As the king went to retrieve the deer and tie it to his horse Max rode over to Godric.

"You had no idea there were large deer here did you?"

"No, sir. I just saw one of the unicorns and it was the only thing I could think of that would get the King away from them."

"Very good. And excellent shot. But next time, don't fire an arrow past the King of the whole country." He smirked.

Godric smiled and helped the King finish tying up the deer.

ϟ

Helga and Rowena again sat in the library awaiting the return of the 'hunters'. They could see the whole meadow from the window near the fire. Plus it allowed Rowena to read some of the books in the massive library.

As Rowena stood up having just finished yet another book she noticed a shadow pass over the window. She walked over to the window and looked out to see three horses running back over the enormous meadow towards the castle.

"Helga, they are on their way back." She proclaimed excitedly.

"Oh good. Now we can see what this big surprise is. Come on, we'll meet them at the front doors.

They walked out and down the stairs all the way to the doors before they noticed all the servants running in from outside screaming. Curious as to what was going on they stepped outside and rounded the corner of the castle and immediately wished they hadn't as an enormous dragon landed behind them cutting them off from the door. They ran to the back of the castle trying to outrun the enormous beast. As they rounded the castle wall Helga noticed that the hysterical servants had closed the portcullis in order to keep out the dragon. They were trapped outside.

ϟ

Godric pushed the horse for all it was worth. He had long ago left both Lord Hufflepuff and King John behind as their horses simply could not keep up with him. Pure need drove him. As they had exited the forest they had seen the enormous dragon heading for the castle and Godric had immediately thought that Rowena and Helga were in deathly trouble.

Max had tried to keep up with Godric but knew that he had to stay with the King to protect him. So now Godric was charging alone about two kilometres from the castle when he saw two figures round the castle wall. One was wearing blue and the other wearing yellow. He knew straight away that they were Helga and Rowena and he began to push the horse even faster. He could see that the back door of the castle was closed. There was nowhere for the girls to go to get away from the horrific beast now rounding the corner.

As he closed the gap Godric pulled the sword he had forged himself from its scabbard and charged the dragon trying to distract it from its current quarry. His plan seemed to work as the dragon turned to face this new threat. He was now close enough to get a good look at the thing which was threatening to take away two of the most important people in his life.

The creature had pitch-black scales over its whole body and bronze spikes protruding from its tail. As it turned to face him he could see long bronze coloured horns and vicious yellow eyes. He could see the eyes tracking him but the dragon made no attempts to stop or evade him.

As he got about forty feet from the dragon it struck, shooting flames at him. The horse responded immediately yet calmly moving to avoid the scorching blast. Godric slowly worked his way around the dragon, putting himself between it and his friends. The dragon suddenly rose up on its back legs and shot fire straight up into the air trying to scare Godric. He stood fast and thinking quickly he fired an arrow into the soft underbelly of the fearsome beast.

The arrow penetrated but seemed to do nothing but aggravate the beast. He realised the only way to beat the creature was to behead it. But that would require getting within range of the vicious spikes on its tail. The dragon tried to herd him around by shooting flames at him once more but Godric stood fast. As he glanced past the dragon he saw Max and the King approaching. Yet they were still too far away to help. He realised he would have to do this alone.

Suddenly an arrow shot past him from somewhere near the castle. He turned to see Rowena stringing another arrow to fire at the dragon to distract it. It worked. The dragon turned to the side to snap at the arrow as it shot past which was the break Godric needed to get up close enough to prevent the dragon using its breath. He was now close enough to strike at the neck of the dragon, but he didn't realise the dragon had seen him coming and had swung its tail to swat him.

Godric fell from his horse and rolled left as the tail just missed him. His horse bolted now that its master had left it, leaving him alone against this enormous beast. He quickly ducked to the right as the dragon swung its tail once more and then tried to squash him underneath its body. Godric swung his sword up and across digging into the flesh just above the dragon's right leg.

He quickly rolled out from under the dragon as it collapsed to the ground, unable to support its weight on an injured leg. It took one more swipe at him with its lethal tail which caught on his tunic ripping it off and leaving a long cut across his shoulders. Godric winced in pain but ducked to the left again and brought his sword down between the scales just behind the monsters head as it twisted up wrenching the sword from his grip and throwing him to the ground.

Godric leapt at the beast's mighty wing as it flicked at him again and again with its tail trying to swat him into the ground. The leathery wing was difficult to hold onto but Godric managed to find handholds as he climbed onto the creatures back. The dragon started bucking and twisting trying to get this pest off its back. It suddenly launched up into the air carrying Godric with it as the King and Max arrived but could only watch helplessly as it soared away with Godric clinging for dear life.

He dug his fingers underneath the scales on the beast's neck slowly working forward towards his sword which was still buried halfway into the creature's neck. The dragon dove back towards the small group at the rear of the castle and landed with a mighty thump knocking the group off their feet but flinging Godric forward as he flailed about for a handhold. With a last ditch grasp his fingers closed around the cold handle of his sword and he dangled from the beast's neck as it reared up shaking trying to free itself of him. Godric pulled out a handful of scales from the dragons head before searching for a better handgrip as he drew the sword back from the dragon's neck.

The dragon stalked back towards the King and the others as Godric swung himself up onto its neck once more straddling the beast as he yelled and drove his sword with all his might through the small opening he had created. The dragon reared up once more howling in pain and causing Godric to slide down its rough back towards the vicious spikes on its tail. He rolled to the left falling several meters to the ground as the beast roared and fell towards him. Godric shuffled back as fast as he could as the dragons head fell right between his legs.


	8. Of Knights and Nights

_Chapter 8 - Of Knights and Nights_

* * *

Godric stared at the mighty animal's head as he panted trying to catch his breath. Rowena ran over to him on the ground and wrapped her arms around him causing him to wince in pain from the cut on his back. He turned about and held her while checking to make sure she was alright. Helga slowly walked over towards the pair, unable to believe that Godric had just slain a Hungarian Horntail, alone.

"Are you two alright?" He asked.

"We are fine. We were just coming out to welcome you guys back when the dragon dropped behind us, cutting us off from the front door. We ran to the back but it had already been locked. We were trapped until you arrived." Said Rowena now scanning Godric's half-naked body for injuries. She gasped as she saw the gash on his back. "Oh, dear Godric." She said before gripping him tighter.

Godric kissed her with all his might. "I love you, Rowena. I don't know what I would have done if you had died. Or you Helga." He hugged her tightly before returning to Rowena's arms.

Lord Hufflepuff and the King walked quietly over to the children staring at the dragon unable to speak.

"You… you…" stuttered the King looking at Godric with disbelief.

"You are insane Godric. That is a Hungarian Horntail. It is the most dangerous breed of dragon there is and you rushed headlong into battle with it." Said Max.

"Rowena and Helga were in danger! I couldn't just leave them to die because your horses couldn't keep up." Godric insisted. "Speaking of which has anyone seen my horse? He ran off when I fell off him. I hope he isn't hurt."

As if reading his mind Godric's horse trotted over from behind the dragon.

"Oh thank god," Godric exclaimed. "You were amazing. I'm going to call you Dracari. It means Dragon Bane." His horse neighed happily before trotting off to the stables.

"You can keep him too." Said Max.

"Really?" asked Godric, amazed.

"Well seems you are the only person who has ever been able to tame him enough to pat him let alone ride him, I guess it makes sense."

"Thank you, sir," Godric said as he walked back toward the lifeless body of the dragon and tried to find his sword. It was buried right to the hilt in the small gap in the scales and he withdrew it.

The King was now inspecting his daughter for any damage. However, all that he could find was her dress was now incredibly filthy. He turned to Godric who was now cleaning the blood of his sword.

"You saved my daughter. How can I ever repay you?"

"Trust me I will never ever let anything happen to Rowena." Swore Godric staring at the King.

At this Rowena came over and hugged Godric tightly and kissed him again. The King seemed once again speechless. He quickly regained his composure though.

"So you love my daughter do you?" he inquired.

Godric nodded. "Yes, your highness. With all my heart."

"You do know that a Lord's apprentice could never marry a princess."

"Yes, sir." Said Godric dejectedly.

"So kneel."

Godric did as he was asked. The King then took his sword and tapped him once on each shoulder with it.

"Arise Sir Godric Gryffindor."

Godric couldn't believe it. He slowly stood with Rowena's help.

"Knights like you on the other hand. I mean who better to protect my daughter than the man who can single-handedly slay a dragon at the age of what 10, 11?" chuckled the King.

"Well, I guess that ruins the surprise a bit." Said Max.

"What do you mean dad?" asked Helga.

"The King took Godric hunting to see whether he was actually as capable as I believed. He not only proved this on the hunt but more than proved it with this dragon. If he was good enough the King was going to knight him and ask him to join the army as a captain."

"Your Highness, I greatly appreciate the offer but I must decline your request for me to join the army. At this stage at least." Said Godric.

"And why is that?"

"Because I have still got a lot I need to learn and work out before I could do something like that. Besides, what soldier would take orders from a child?"

"I see. Well if you change your mind the offer stands. The title, however, is yours. You have earned it. Well, I must leave but I shall see you again soon."

"Where are we going dad?" asked Rowena.

"You are going to stay here with Lord Hufflepuff, Helga, and Godric. I have a war to join. I love you honey and I will see you as soon as I am done. Your mother is going to return to the castle to rule the land while I am away."

Rowena couldn't answer; she just nodded and hugged her father. He then turned and walked towards the carriage back to his castle where his wife was waving to Rowena. Rowena ran to Godric and hugged him crying on his shoulder as he held her.

"Well, I think we should all head back inside and get cleaned up for dinner, which the young Godric here has provided us. Off you all go and I'll get someone to clean all this up." Said Max looking at the children. He noticed Godric's cut and moved over to him. "Come with me first Godric and we'll clean up that cut."

ϟ

"NO! It's not possible!" screamed Thomas as he leaned over the bowl looking at the image contained in the water.

"I don't understand it, sir. That was a Hungarian Horntail. How could a child have killed it? And a muggle child from the looks of it." Asked Salazar looking at the water.

"I don't know but we must learn who this person is. They may prove problematic later on. I don't know what it is but there is something familiar about him."

He tapped the water with his finger. Sound now emanated from the surface as well.

"Arise Sir Godric Gryffindor."

"What?!" yelled Thomas as he heard the name. "That can't be. Bella said that both Xavier and Jennifer died that night. Before the baby could be born. I even read her mind to make sure."

"What are we going to do sir? Hufflepuff may be onto you now as you are the only one who could get a foreign dragon like that into the country."

"We will just wait for now. I need to see more of this Godric. He must not be allowed to foil our plans."

"Yes, sir."

ϟ

Godric woke with a start. His entire body was covered in sweat and he ached everywhere. As he sat up in his bed he tried to remember the dream he had just had. It was so strange. There was a boy about his age with a strange wooden stick. He had unruly black hair and familiar green eyes. He appeared to be fighting with the other figure from the dream. He had no hair and evil red eyes. He was also wielding one of those strange wooden sticks.

He climbed out of bed and grabbed some clothes. He quickly made his way downstairs and out to the stables.

"Hello, Dracari." He said as his horse greeted him when he entered the stables.

Seems as how they were both awake, Godric decided to go for a ride. He couldn't be bothered burdening Dracari with saddles and things so he just led him straight out into the night air and climbed on bareback, lacing his fingers softly into Dracari's mane.

They galloped across the now empty meadow away from the forest heading for the lake several kilometres east of the castle. It took them no time at all to cover the great distance and like before Dracari seemed to respond to Godric's very thoughts. When they arrived Godric climbed down off of Dracari who immediately began drinking from the crystal clear water. Godric walked slowly around the water's edge watching his friend drinking.

He continued walking until he was unable to see Dracari. As he looked up he saw that the stars had become obscured by a strange fog. Suddenly off to his right, he could hear something moving in the bushes. He backed towards the water while still trying to see what had made the noise.

Then out of the bushes leapt a large griffin. Godric fell backwards in shock landing straight in the freezing cold lake. Upon hearing the sound the griffin turned its attention to him. It dropped the limp creature hanging from its mouth and stalked slowly towards Godric. As it approached Godric found himself willing it to stop, hoping that he could somehow stall it long enough for someone to come to his aid.

The griffin reached the water's edge as Godric stood back up and faced the fearsome creature. It stretched out its neck until its mouth was equal with Godric's face. He stood steadfast waiting for it to kill him. Then it licked his cheek leaving a long line of foul smelling saliva on his cheek. It then gently gripped his arm in its mouth and slowly pulled him back onto dry land and let go again.

Godric was dumbfounded. He was certain that he was about to share the same fate as the creature now lying over by the bushes. However, the griffin seemed to have taken a liking to him. As they stood there gazing at one another Dracari came trotting around the lake and stopped upon seeing his master face to face with a griffin. Godric merely patted the griffin before walking over to the bushes to see what was lying on the ground.

As he knelt beside the dead beast he noticed what it was. A dead mother phoenix. He was suddenly saddened at the site of such a beautiful creature in such a state. Suddenly he noticed something golden in its closed claws. As he gently peeled the claws back a small golden egg with brilliant scarlet spots fell to the ground at his knees. Even as it sat there he knew that it was a phoenix egg. He quickly picked it up and walked back over to Dracari.

"Farewell griffin. I hope we meet again." He said as the griffin walked over to him again.

Godric gave it one last pat before climbing back onto Dracari. He didn't know why but he had a strange feeling that he had to get the egg back to the castle now. He directed Dracari towards the distant castle and willed him to go with all haste. As the world flashed by them Godric was bombarded with freezing cold air and began to shiver violently. But he kept a tight grip on the precious egg in his hand.

In moments the castle was again in sight and they were approaching at quite a rate. Godric felt some of his worry dissolve but he could not quell it all. They were still several kilometres from the castle and he didn't have any of his weapons with him. He turned to look back towards the lake and saw a large dark creature stalking them.

"Straight into the castle boy. You can stay inside tonight." He said to Dracari as he turned back towards the castle.

He had no idea what was chasing them but he knew it was bad. They made it quickly to the castle and as he entered the back door he instructed the guard to close the doors and portcullis at both the front and back and leave them sealed all night, no matter what they heard.

He rode Dracari to an empty room and left him there with some food and water from the guards. He then walked quickly up to his bedroom where he laid the cold egg deep underneath the warm down blankets of his bed. With the egg safe, he changed from his wet clothes and dried off. Then he walked over to the window and looked outside. He could see a large dark shadow stalking around the stables and could hear the horses crying out as it devoured them one by one.

Horrified, yet unable to do anything, he climbed into bed and nursed the egg to warm it up. Good thing I brought Dracari inside, he thought as he drifted off into yet another uneasy sleep.


	9. Fights and Fires

_Chapter 9 - Fights and Fires_

* * *

Godric was woken late the next morning by Helga. She was in tears and mumbling at him incoherently. He climbed out of bed and hugged her, trying to calm and comfort his dear friend.

"Helga, what is wrong?"

"Something attacked the stables last night. All the horses are dead. And so is Lionel." She broke down crying again.

"But how? There was no-one in the stables when I was there."

Helga stopped crying for a minute. "What do you mean when you were there?"

"I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep so I went for a walk and ended up in the stables. I decided to go for a ride so I took Dracari to the lake. We came across a griffin that had killed a phoenix. The phoenix had this egg clutched in its claws." As he said this he retrieved the now hot egg from his bed and showed it to Helga.

"That's amazing!" she said as she stared at the egg.

"I know. I grabbed the egg and rode back here as fast as I could and told the guards to close the gates because something was following us back from the lake. It must have attacked the stables. I just wish I knew what it was. I would have stayed out there and fought it but I had my sword and bow up here."

Rowena now joined them in the room also looking very distressed. Godric could tell that she had also been crying.

"Hello, Godric." She said wearily before noticing the egg in his hands. "My goodness, Godric. Where did you get that?"

"I found it down by the lake." As he spoke he thought that he felt the egg move.

"It is so beautiful. What is it?"

He glanced at Helga who simply shrugged. Taking this as consent to reveal more about the magic world he told Rowena.

"It's a phoenix egg."

"But I thought that phoenixes were just a myth. And aren't they supposed to live in high mountains."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." This time he definitely felt the egg move but the girls didn't seem to notice. "The egg was in its mother's claws when I found it. The griffin must have chased her all the way from the mountains before it caught her by the lake."

The egg began to vibrate slightly and was becoming increasingly warm in his hands. The girls now seemed to realise that something was happening inside the egg. Suddenly it burst into flames in Godric's hands leaving nothing but a pile of ash in his hands.

"Oh no." moaned Rowena. "The poor thing."

Helga nearly started crying again but Godric just stared at his hands. He could feel something moving in the ashes.

"Helga, Rowena, look." He said as a small scarlet-feathered head popped out of the ashes and stared straight at him.

Both of the girls gasped but Godric continued to stare back at the bird now resting in his hands as it worked its way out of the ashes. Godric gently shifted the young phoenix onto his right hand and gently brushed the remaining ash from its feathers with his left hand. As he ran his hand over the phoenix it began to sing softly. The trio's hearts soared as they heard the beautiful tune emanating from the bird. They almost completely forgot about the horrors of the night before as they were inundated by the glorious melody of the song.

"It's so beautiful Godric. What are you going to call it?" asked Helga

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"I mean you saved the phoenix. Phoenixes are incredibly loyal creatures. By its own thoughts it belongs to you, so you have to give it a name."

"I… um… how about Pyre. Yeah, Pyre sounds good. Do you like that name?" he asked the small phoenix.

It simply chirped happily in his hands.

"I'll take that as a yes. Pyre it is."

"We should show your father Helga." Said Rowena. "He would probably want to know about something like this."

Helga nodded and the two girls left the room so Godric could change. He placed Pyre on the small table near his bed while he got dressed. When he got back to the table Pyre had already almost doubled in size. He was now covered in brilliant scarlet and gold feathers from head to claw. At the top of its head were seven long gold feathers and three blood red feathers that swept back down its neck. On its tail, the feathers ended in large bright circles like that of a peacock.

As he stood there admiring Pyre, it jumped off the table and perched itself on his shoulder. It weighed almost nothing. When he opened the door to find the two girls there waiting for him they jumped in surprise at how much Pyre had grown in a few minutes.

"I think we should feed him something first." Said Godric noticing how hungry he himself was.

As if reading his mind Pyre swooped down off his shoulder and landed hard on something at the side of the corridor. As he turned around they saw him consuming the first half of a large rat.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that." Laughed Rowena.

They all walked off towards Max's office. Godric whistled and Pyre leapt back onto his shoulder. When they knocked at the door to Max's office they found him looking incredibly depressed. Obviously, he had a lot on his mind with the loss of all but one of the horses.

"Sir, we have something to show you." Said Godric breaking Max's concentration.

He walked slowly forward as Max looked up and gasped in surprise.

"Where on earth did you find that Godric?" he asked perplexed.

"I found it in an egg down by the lake last night."

"What were you doing at the lake last night?"

"I couldn't sleep so I took Dracari for a ride. That is merely where we ended up."

"You didn't by any chance see what attacked the stables did you?"

"Well yes and no sir. I saw something following me back from the lake. But it was surrounded by a strange shroud of darkness. It was as though it was absorbing the light as food or something."

"How unusual. Well, I suppose that you will need somewhere to keep that guy." Max said pointing at the phoenix still perched diligently on Godric's shoulder.

"Ah, I was hoping that I could just get a perch for him made up so he could stay in my room with me." Replied Godric.

"Very well I will have the carpenters get right on it. It shall be in your room tonight. So what is his name?"

"Pyre, sir."

Very good. Well, you three should go outside and give him some exercise. But do not go far from the castle at the moment. Whatever attacked the stables could still be outside somewhere."

"Yes, sir." They all droned at once. They had hoped to go show Pyre to the unicorns today.

ϟ

Several weeks later the group were all outside watching the now fully-grown Pyre soar through the air. As they watched they noticed a small rainbow came out from his tail as he flew. Pyre's singing had cheered the entire castle dramatically. Godric had managed to get Dracari to allow Max to ride him to a nearby horse farm to both warn him to be cautious and to collect some new horses.

They had even located Lionel. He had been in the stables when the creature arrived and had seen it begin to devour the horses. He had run from the stables and into the forest getting lost. Max had gone into the forest a couple of days later to find him still quivering in fear completely lost.

All in all everything in the castle was now back to normal. As they sat watching Pyre fly about Max crept up behind the group and scared them all.

"Dad, that wasn't fair." Moaned Helga.

"You'll recover darling." He chuckled back. "I just wanted to tell you all that you can go back into the forest again. We have checked every inch of it and there is no sign of the weird creature."

"Alright. Let's go see Galfur." Said Godric jumping up.

As if reading his mind Pyre landed gently on his shoulder and Dracari trotted up behind him.

"Hang on you two. Rowena and Helga need some horses too." He said to the impatient horse now nipping at him excitedly.

The three teens walked over to the newly fixed and filled stables to get a pair of horses for the girls. They took a good twenty minutes to find a pair of horses that suited the two fussy girls. Max then walked over to them as they all mounted their horses.

"Godric, take these just in case." He whispered to Godric handing him his sword and bow. "The last two times you went off riding something has happened. I am beginning to think Thomas is behind this."

"Alright, sir. And don't worry." He said noticing Max worryingly watching his daughter. "I won't let anything happen, to either of them." And with that, he headed off after the girls.

ϟ

After visiting the unicorns and showing off Pyre the trio decided to head into a part of the forest they had never ventured into before. It was much darker in this part of the forest and the trees looked a lot more gangly and dangerous. This, however, didn't dampen the group's spirits and they kept on riding. Eventually, they came across a small pond filled with dark murky water.

They decided to hang about here for a while and dismounted the horses. They tied the three horses to some trees by a large patch of lush grass and sat at the water's edge. They sat for a long while just talking amongst themselves when they all became very sleepy. They decided that it wouldn't hurt to take a short nap so they all closed their eyes and fell into a strange deep sleep.

ϟ

Godric was woken suddenly by a loud scream off to his left. He opened his eyes to see a few small creatures trying to attack Helga who was beating them off with a stick that had been lying next to her. The creatures were only about a foot tall and covered in hair except for their heads which were smooth and grey. When he looked at the lake again he noticed what he had before thought to be a pile of rocks had indeed been these strange creatures waiting for them to fall asleep.

He turned to see Rowena also beating off a group of the small creatures before turning back to see about fifty of the things attacking him. He kicked at them trying to get up but found himself held down by a strange root. He looked around for his sword before realising that it was still on his saddle. He continued kicking and swatting at the creatures trying to get them off him so that he could get up and help the girls. Helga appeared to be alright but he could see that Rowena was starting to struggle with the increasing number of creatures trying to get at her.

Suddenly as Helga beat off the last of her attackers, Godric felt a great rush of wind. There was a great flash and all the creatures attacking Rowena flew off her landing in the pond and around its banks dead. The two girls stood shocked for a moment before rushing over to help Godric. Together they beat the rest of the creatures until the fled to await an easier meal.

"Thanks." Said Godric now struggling to remove the root when Rowena used his sword to sever it at the base. "What on earth did you do to get rid of all those things, Helga?'

"I didn't do that." She replied plainly.

Godric and Helga looked at one another for a minute then they both looked at Rowena.

"I don't know what happened. I just saw in my mind all of the things flying off me and then it just happened."

"You're a witch?!" exclaimed Godric in disbelief.

"You aren't going to turn me in, are you? Witches are supposed to be killed as soon as possible."

"Of course not. No-one in this place will." He replied still slightly shocked.

"Why not?"

"Because we are both magical as well Rowena. So is your mother. And both of my parents." Said Helga pointedly.

"Come on. Let's get back to the castle before those things come back." Said Godric.

They all rushed over to their horses and climbed on steering them away from the dark pond. As they rushed back through the forest Godric realised that he hadn't seen Pyre since he fell asleep.

"Where is Pyre?" he asked the girls.

"I don't know." Said Rowena. "Should we go back and look for him?"

Just as she asked this, Pyre swooped in from behind them carrying one of the small creatures that had attacked them.

"There you are!" said Godric relieved.

Pyre merely chirped at him as they all set off for the castle once more.

ϟ

"Where did you say that you found this?" asked Max staring at the creature that Godric had brought to him and Pyre was patiently waiting to eat.

"We stopped beside a small pond in the forest and there were hundreds of them by it," Godric replied simply. "There was something else too."

At this Max refocused his attention on Godric.

"When we sat beside the pond we all felt really sleepy all of a sudden."

"Were any of you bitten by them?"

"No, sir. What exactly are they?"

"They are pogrebin. They are usually only found out in the cold eastern parts of Europe. I have seen a few in England before but never in packs of more than one hundred. I must say that he is becoming desperate to finish you."

"Who is sir?"

"Thomas. He is the only person around here who could get access to both pogrebin and a Hungarian Horntail. He really wants to get rid of you. He is definitely planning something. Therefore I don't think that it is safe for you to leave the castle for a while."

"But sir I can't stay inside all the time. How will I practise my sword work? And there is definitely nowhere I can use a bow inside." Gripped Godric.

"Actually I know a place where you can do both. I put it in the castle when I took over as Lord."

"Where sir?"

"You know how there is a door on the fourth floor that vanishes from time to time?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can show you how to enter it. You can practise in there."

"Excellent."

"But for now I think that you should retire. Goodnight Godric."

Godric turned and walked to the door before he turned around having remembered something he forgot to tell Max.

"Sir."

"Yes, Godric?"

"I nearly forgot but something else happened in the forest today."

"And what was that Godric?"

"When we were attacked by those things Helga and I beat them back by hand but Rowena… she repelled them somehow. I mean one minute they were crawling all over her just like me and Helga then there was a bright flash and all the ones around her were flung back dead."

"You mean that Rowena used magic?" he proclaimed excitedly. "That is wonderful. Seems as how you seemed to be getting into so much trouble lately I had decided to teach both you and Helga how to use your magic properly. The only problem was what to do with Rowena while I taught you. But now she can just join us."

"That is good then." Replied Godric glowing inside at the thought of training with both of his best friends.

"Yes. We will have to travel somewhere tomorrow but it shouldn't take long. After that, though I don't want you to leave the castle until I feel you are ready. Alright?" he reiterated.

"Yes, sir. Do you want me to tell the girls?"

"No, we will head off once everyone is ready in the morning. For now, just head to bed please."

"Yes, sir. Goodnight sir."

And with that Godric turned and left the room.


	10. Shopping And Spellcasting

_Chapter 10 – Shopping And Spellcasting_

* * *

Godric had trouble sleeping that night as he was just too excited about the next day. Where were they going? How would they get there? Why were they going? The thoughts just kept swimming about his head, and no matter what he tried he just couldn't get rid of them. But the question that nagged at him the most was how no one had known before that Rowena was magical. She seemed to be quite powerful.

No matter how much he learned about her she still managed to surprise him at every turn. He eventually dozed into an uneasy sleep. Next thing he knew Helga was standing above him shouting at him and shaking him.

"GET UP!" she screamed.

"What..?" mumbled Godric drowsily.

"We have to get going soon. Now hurry up or you will miss out on breakfast."

At that, she stormed from the room leaving him to get dressed alone. Pyre was also nowhere to be seen, but the window was now open. He assumed that he had gone hunting. He splashed some of the cold water next to his dresser on his face to wake himself up a bit. Now wide-awake he threw on some clothes and rushed downstairs to get some breakfast. Everyone else was already there waiting for him.

"About time you showed up." Said Rowena smiling at him.

She looked radiant today in a long royal blue silk dress. It fit her body perfectly and made her look even more beautiful than usual. Helga noticed Godric staring at her.

"Will you just hurry up and eat." She whispered. "You can stare at her later."

Godric simply glared at her before focusing finally on the food in front of him.

It didn't take them long to finish breakfast and make their way up to Max's office where he waited with his wife.

"Everyone ready?" he asked and they all nodded.

"Um, sir. How are we getting… wherever we are going?" inquired Godric

"Portkey." He said holding up a small book. "Now everyone touch this."

They all grabbed hold unsure of what was going on when suddenly they all felt a pulling sensation as though a hook had secured itself behind their navel and was pulling them forward. The next thing they knew they were in a pile on the ground outside a large crooked white building.

"Ouch." Moaned Godric, rubbing his bottom, on which he had landed rather sharply. "Where are we?"

"Diagon Alley. This is where we will buy all the stuff for the lessons." Replied Max seeming completely unbothered by the painful landing.

As Godric extricated himself from the ground feeling rather sore, he began to look around at where he was. Suddenly his jaw dropped. This was by far the most magical place he had ever been. Normally inanimate objects were flying about and operating with a mind of their own. Buildings sat at incredibly impossible angles. And the street was filled with people mulling over the many magical objects on sale in front of the shops.

As he looked around he saw both Rowena and Helga looking around in awe as he had just done. Clearly, it was their first time here as well. Then he turned to survey the building they had landed in front of. It was a huge white building which was even more unusual than any other in the entire street. His eyes slowly worked their way down the building to its burnished bronze doors.

He opened his mouth to ask what the building was but was cut off by Lady Hufflepuff.

"That is Gringotts. The wizarding bank." She said as she began to climb the steps towards the doors.

As Godric followed he noticed two small figures dressed in scarlet and gold uniforms. As they walked towards the doors the figures nodded, bowed and opened the doors for them. They now found themselves in a large room with a pair of silver doors several metres in front of them with two more figures on either side. These doors had words engraved upon them:

 _Enter stranger, but take heed,_  
 _Of what awaits the sin of greed._  
 _For those who take, but do not earn,_  
 _Must pay dearly in their turn._

 _So if you seek beneath our floors,_  
 _A treasure that was never yours,_  
 _Thief, you have been warned, beware!_  
 _Of finding more than treasure there._

Godric read it over several times before turning to Max and asking, "What is that all about?"

"It means that you would either have to be incredibly stupid or very insane to try to rob Gringotts. It is the safest place anywhere in the magical world. The lower floors where the vaults are is carved from solid rock with huge trenches that drop for miles. This is why I want you to all stick with me or Lady Hufflepuff while we are inside. Understand?" he asked the trio who were nearly bursting to get through the doors and see what lay in store.

As the three nodded the Goblins opened the large doors to reveal an enormous marble-floored hall. It stretched until forever to the back and all along its polished floors, Goblins scurried to and fro. Along the polished-onyx walls lay many large steel doors with elaborate gold patterns lain across them. Each also sported two numbers and they all had a large desk with three or four Goblins sitting at it.

"Let's see we want vaults 687, 963, and 724. Might as well start at the bottom." Said Max, more to himself than anyone else.

The group followed Max over to the door marked 450 - 900. As they approached an important looking Goblin stood up behind the desk, which made him nearly as tall as Helga, and raised his hand.

"Where do you seek to go?" He demanded.

"We need to stop at vaults 687, 724, and 963. Here are the keys for all three." Max said displaying three small golden keys to the Goblin.

"Very well," said the Goblin, "Hagar, come here and lead these people to these vaults."

Hagar just nodded and walked through the door not even making sure that the group was following him. The moment they passed through the doors the building seemed to vanish as they found themselves in the entryway to a large cavern system. A small cart sat on a pair of rails that ran over a huge deep crevice that went as far as the eye could see.

"All aboard." Instructed Hagar.

Once they were all aboard Hagar sat in the seat at the very back of the cart and they took off at an outrageous pace. Godric tried to keep up with all the twists and turns they took but soon got lost so he just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Helga, on the other hand, looked nearly ready to throw up.

Rowena didn't seem to be as badly affected by the ride as Helga; however, she certainly wasn't enjoying it anywhere near as much as Godric. In fact, as Godric looked around at the other occupants of the cart he noticed that none of them looked particularly happy about the method of transport except for Hagar.

As he turned back around, the cart abruptly stopped. Godric nearly toppled over the edge but Max grabbed his arm just in time.

"Thank you, Sir." Said Godric rather relieved as he extricated himself from the vehicle. He glanced around at the dark cave. There was a large crevasse over which the cart runs. Flanking it on either side were long corridors carved out of the very rock and lined with stalactites, -mites, and columns. "Where exactly are we?"

"Deep underneath London. It is one of the things that make this place so hard to rob." Replied Max as he handed one of the keys to Hagar.

The door to the vault swung slowly open and the group drew a collective gasp as the light from the lantern struck the masses of gold and silver contained within.

"I've never seen so much money before. Where did you get it all sir?" asked Godric.

"It's not mine Godric, it's yours. This was your parent's vault. It has been used by your family for years." Max stated.

"Mine?" mumbled Godric dumbfounded.

The gold was piled so high that it obscured the entire rear wall. You couldn't even see the roof. Max grabbed several handfuls of coins and placed them into a bag which he had to press into Godric's hand forcefully before he even realised everyone was still there.

"Come on boy. We have a lot to do today." And with that, he followed the retreating back of the small goblin leaving Godric staring at the now closed vault.

They didn't take long to retrieve the money from the other two vaults (the only one of which was even close to the Gryffindor fortune was Rowena's) and they were soon back on the surface.

"Okay, now we need to get a lot of things here. So I suggest we break into two groups. Helga and Rowena can go with Alexandria and get potions ingredients and books. Godric and I shall get the rest and we will meet at Ollivanders when we are done. Agreed?" Asked Max.

As much as Godric wanted to stay with his friends in this incredible place he agreed and was soon following Max through the throng going into varying stores.

"Seems as how you have your phoenix, you don't need an owl. But we shall need one for Helga and Rowena." Max muttered absentmindedly as they entered Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Godric was amazed at the massive range of birds staring down at him from above. There were brown ones, white ones, black ones, big ones, small ones, thin ones, large ones. Every type one could think of. But two specific owls caught his eye. One was rather small and fluffy. It had mottled brown feathers and a short dull orange beak. It seemed incredibly docile and unsurprisingly just sat there and hooted contentedly as he stroked its feathers. The second was slightly bigger than the first and was very elegant. It held itself high despite its small stature and did not react when he stroked it. They were perfect he thought as he grabbed one on each arm and walked to where Max was talking to the owner by the counter.

"These two please." He said catching both men completely off-guard. "They are perfect for Rowena and Helga."

Max just looked at Godric's determined face and said, "Well if you say so then it must be true. How much Dean?"

"I'm paying sir. It can be there Christmas present from me." Said Godric already rummaging in his pocket for the necessary gold.

"They are 40 Galleons each young man." Said Dean, as though he believed Godric could never afford them.

"Here you go." Replied the young teen, handing over the Galleons. "And two cages for them too please."

Dean stood amazed for only a moment before retrieving cages for both majestic birds and allowing Max to usher the young man from the store.

"Well, that's us done. How about we go for a quick snack before we meet the others, hey?" Jested Max, leading Godric towards a bright shop with many young faces around it. Max bought them both large ice creams before leading off in the direction of an old thin shop perched just near the Daily Prophet. "Just the wands to get now."

They both filed quietly into the shop where both Helga and Rowena were already paying for their wands.

"Oh hello, Godric." Cheered Helga, "Look at my new wand. It's 8 1/2 inches, Unicorn Hair core, Beechwood." She handed Godric the box so that he could inspect it carefully.

"It's magnificent. And what about yours Rowena?" he chimed grasping her box and peering inside.

"Mine is 9 1/2 inches, Willow with a Phoenix Feather core. I really love it. It is so beautiful."

"Now Mister Gryffindor. It is your turn. Come back here and let us see if we can find you something worthy of your skills." Stated Mr Ollivander.

He shuffled Godric to the back of the shop and retrieved several wands from a nearby shelf.

"These are quite similar to your parent's wands. Maybe you will share the great skills they possessed." He cooed as he handed over the first wand.

Godric waved it slightly before having it jerked roughly from his grip.

"Maybe this." Said Ollivander.

Again Godric swished it slightly before it too was wrenched from his grip. Again and again, this was repeated until finally, he had just waved the very last wand in the entire shop.

"Well, I must say I've never been unable to find a wand for a customer before. You must be a very special customer indeed for it to be this difficult." Mr Ollivander seemed utterly perplexed by his lack of wand for Godric.

"What does that mean? That I'm not really magic after all?" Asked Godric becoming rather downhearted.

"Not at all Godric. It just means that your wand is not here right now." Proposed Max. "Maybe if we go home and come back next week."

"No. There has to be one here."

Suddenly the whole group jumped as a bright flash of flame popped in the middle of the room, and a single solitary feather floated gently down onto a small, unused piece of wand wood. They all stared for a short while unable to explain what had just happened.

"Maybe if you make that one it will be okay." Stated Godric looking hopeful.

"Well, I can try. It shall take about half an hour to make and another 20 minutes to seal up and test." Said Ollivander.

"Alright we will try that one then we must be going. We will wait round in the pub. Let us know when you are done, Simon." Said Max leading the children from the store.

One hour later as they were all finishing eating, Mr Ollivander came walking into the shop with a long box in his hand.

"Here you go Mister Gryffindor. 11 1/4 inches, Ash we all know the core, try it out." He said handing over the box.

The moment Godric wrapped his fingers around the wood he felt a strange warmth spread slowly through him. The kind of warmth he felt when Pyre was singing. He gently waved it back and forth and a stream of multi-coloured sparks remained where the tip had been only moments beforehand. They twinkled brightly for several seconds then slowly dissipated before Mr Ollivander clapped his hands.

"Yes, I knew that we could find one for you. I just wish I knew where that phoenix feather came from. I have had the wood for years. I was saving it for a particularly special wand and it appears we have found it. That will be 6 Galleons Mister Gryffindor."

Godric passed over the money without once letting go of his new wand. Once Mr Ollivander had disappeared Max stood and gathered the shopping. "Well, we need to head back now. But this time we will travel that way." He indicated a large fireplace in a backroom. "Come on let's go."

He shuffled them all over to the fire and Alexandria went first.

"Hufflepuff Castle." She declared stepping into the bright emerald flames that had burst up from the bare wood.

"What was that?" Demanded the three children as the flames engulfed the last of Lady Hufflepuff.

"That, kids, is floo powder." Said Max, indicating a small pot by the fireplace. "You throw it into the fire and clearly state where you want to go, and it takes you there. So just take some and do what Alexandria did."

Godric stepped up first having recovered from the shock quickest. He grabbed some of the powder and stood in front of the fire looking very worried.

"Remember Godric, very clearly, Hufflepuff Castle." Reminded Max.

He took two very deep breaths then threw the powder while saying "Hufflepuff Castle," and stepped headlong into the roaring flames and felt his body being spun violently away from the pub.


	11. The Origin Of Magic

_Chapter 11 – The Origin Of Magic_

* * *

Godric collided heavily with the stone floor as he was thrown from the fireplace. He felt like he was going to throw up and every part of his body ached as though he had just been thrown off the tower. As Godric slowly lifted himself from the floor and dusted himself off, he looked up to see Alexandria watching him as she put all her packages aside.

"Well, you have taken that well Godric. Dust yourself off on the mat then you can head back to your room and get cleaned up."

With that, she left the room as flames again erupted in the fireplace behind Godric.

He leapt aside as Helga fell from the fire, but rushed back over to help her up just in time for the fireplace to flash again as Rowena dropped squarely into his arms.

"Thanks." She said as she extricated herself from his arms and dusted herself down.

Godric just stood there for a second. "Um yeah, you're welcome."

The trio helped dust each other down then they all headed to their rooms to go and get changed. When Godric closed the door to his room behind him Pyre flew in through the window and landed on his perch.

"Hey Pyre. You won't imagine the day we just had." Godric said as he placed his wand on the side table whilst he got changed.

As he emerged from the wardrobe he saw something next to Pyre glowing orange. As he walked over he let out an audible gasp as his wand was glowing bright orange.

"What the…?" He said as he grabbed it and ran downstairs without a second glance until he ran headlong into Lord Hufflepuff.

"Sir, I have to show you something." He panted out.

"Calm down Godric. What is it?" Max asked.

"It's my wand, Sir. There is something strange about it. I just sat it down to get changed and it started glowing." Godric sputtered.

"Where was Pyre while this happened?" Max asked seemingly unperturbed by this strange event.

"Um, he was, on his perch Sir," Godric said as his heart rate slowed to normal once more.

"Ah, I thought as much. Let's go back up to your room for a minute." Said Max as he began up the stairs, a confused Godric following on his heels.

When they arrived in the room Pyre let out a low call at their sudden appearance.

"Go put your wand back exactly where you had it before Godric." Said Max.

Godric complied and watched carefully as he sat it back down next to Pyre on the side table. It immediately began glowing but much fainter this time.

"I thought so. At least now we know where that phoenix feather came from. Pyre here gave it. That's why your wand is glowing. It will only do it for a bit until the feather gets used to the wood. Then it will just look normal." Max stated quite calmly.

"I don't understand Sir." Questioned Godric.

"You see the feather in your wand, came from Pyre. He donated it to Ollivanders just for you. And when it was reunited with the rest of Pyre it reacted. I assume it was much brighter last time?"

Godric just nodded as he finally understood what was happening.

"Sir, do you ever find yourself completely confused by all of this magic?" Asked Godric out of the blue.

"Well, ah, yes I do every now and then Godric," Max replied. "But I have been around it for some time so I am used to most of it these days. And most magic is all about logic anyway. Now if you're all done with questions I think I may need to go lay down for a bit. I always hated travelling by Floo Powder."

Godric nodded as Max smiled and left the room. He walked over to his bed and stroked Pyre.

"So it was you huh. Well, I can't think of a better feather to have than yours." Pyre looked up at him and squawked, and even that came out as a beautiful heartwarming note as Godric gently stroked his head.

ϟ

It was nearly four whole days of carnage in the castle before Lord Hufflepuff had arranged everything for the lessons. During this time the three teens had run around the castle waving their wands at everything they saw and causing heaps of trouble. Eventually, Max managed to get them to settle in a long thin corridor long enough to show them their new classroom.

"This is a special room that will hold everything you need for class nice and safely. Now to get in you just walk up to this brick, hold your wand against it like so and think of what you need from the room, in this case, our classroom. And voila," the trio gasped loudly as a solid wooden door popped into existence in the stonewall, 'instant classroom,' smiled Max.

As he swung the door inwards the trio was even more speechless. They all knew that the other side of that wall was empty space yet they were now looking into a very organised and rather amazing large room filled with all sorts of the items they had seen at Diagon Alley. And there was a feeling in the room that they couldn't place; a feeling of complete and total magic.

"Ok. Now this young man will be teaching you all." Said Max as a young man of about 32 stepped up beside him. "His name is Cuthbert Binns and he is very knowledgeable. So I shall let you take them."

The kids looked curiously at the new man as if sizing him up. He just walked past them into the room and sat at the front of the room signalling for the trio to come in and sit down.

"Ok then. As Lord Hufflepuff just told you I am your new teacher. I would prefer however that you address me as Professor Binns at all times in class." The three children nodded as he continued. "I am sure you all can't wait to use those new wands of yours, however, you will most likely be rather depressed to hear that we will not be actually performing any magic for the first few lessons." He started to massive groans from the kids.

"Now now, the magic will come soon enough but the first thing you need to learn is where magic comes from. Once you understand this it will immediately help you with your spellcasting and other magical activities."

Nothing Professor Binns had said seemed to have pierced the depressed veneer of the group in front of him, but he just chuckled.

"Actually I do believe that we will kick off with a spell. Seems the three of you can't seem to control yourselves when it comes to your wands, and keep breaking things, I'm going to teach you how to fix those things again."

At this, the three faces suddenly glowed with excitement.

"Ok. Watch me closely." Binns started as he pushed a flower vase off the desk at the front. He pointed his wand directly at the mess on the floor. "Reparo."

And with a quick flick of his wrist, the vase was once more sitting quite nicely in one piece on the floor, much to the excitement of his audience.

"Now there is one very important thing to notice here. Can any of you tell me what that is?"

The three looked at the vase for a minute before Rowena's hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Rowena?" Binns said with an enormous grin.

"The flowers are still on the floor." She chimed brightly.

Godric and Helga, who had been studying the vase vainly trying to see what was wrong with it, looked down to see the mess on the floor.

"Exactly Rowena. The repair spell does just that. It repairs the broken item. It does not put whatever had been inside the container back inside it. So remember that before you go breaking something. You will still have to put whatever was in it back."

With a second flick of his wrist, Binns sent the flowers soaring back into the vase which again looked as though nothing had happened.

"Now you can, and I am sure you will have plenty of opportunity to, practise that in your own free time. For now, we shall move onto the origin of magic."

Once more the faces deflated somewhat, but they still pulled out their parchment and quills and got ready to write.

"Now for you to understand how magic works we need to cover a little history first. Several centuries ago there was a terrible plague that ravaged a great deal of the world, but even amongst all the death, life was blossoming. You see the disease had one of three effects depending on the person infected. The first was death. The second was rather unremarkable being just the continuation of life, for a very great amount of people were soon discovered to be immune to the disease entirely and they continued on to become the general human race we know today, Muggles. But the third effect was incredible. Some people's bodies absorbed the disease, and it caused mutations in them. Most of these people were unfortunately murdered by the people of the age. You see it has long been a human trait to kill what you don't understand, and many of these mutations were physical. And a great deal were killed by their own mutations as well. However, a great deal of people manifested mutation only on an internal or cellular level. These people developed special cells that for a long time had no apparent use.

"Many just continued living their lives until the disease was all but forgotten. It was several generations before anything came out of those cells. For all things in this world both living and inert contain energy, and not all of it can be measured like Muggles believe. One of these forms of energy, one that no Muggle could measure, manifested itself through these cells. It was magical energy, and it is the energy that allows us to do what we do. But it is these cells that allow us to survive utilising this energy. You see there are others that can use magical energy but they lack these magical cells to channel it. So if they channel too much energy they burn out cells necessary for them to live. And quite often this leads to them dying very horribly for they suffocate while they are still breathing.

"However our magical cells are much stronger, they can withstand quite considerable overloads of magical energy before they die, but if we overdraw too much we can end up damaging normal cells as well. It is for this reason that I must strongly recommend you do not attempt any spells other than those you are taught here for some time. If you do overdraw you could considerably hurt both yourself and those around you as well. But don't worry. Magical cells are much like muscles. The more you exercise them they more robust and powerful they become. So as we work through the smaller tedious spells your cells will get stronger and stronger allowing you to cast these more dangerous spells."

Binns smiled as he watched them diligently writing every word he had just said. He contemplated the group in front of him as they worked. "Got all that down have we?" They all nodded. "Good. Now we can move onto what magic is. Do you have any idea at all what it is?"

The trio sat there a look of fierce concentration on their faces. But not one of them could think of a valid answer.

"I must say I had hoped you would. We did just touch on it before but I will go through it again to make sure you understand it. Magic is a fluid and magnificent energy force. It is raw power channelled into desire. It is your will turned to reality. In effect, it is merely the realisation of your will. A manifestation of the mind's desire. We are still very unsure as to who was the first to experience this force and as such are unable to give a completely accurate description of what magic is. But right now what magic is, is rather simple. It is your immediate needs, wants, and desires made real by the channelling of this energy. Now do you all have any questions?"

Binns was surprised this time to see Godric's hand in the air. "Yes, Godric?"

"Then why is it that we can use magic but Muggles can't?"

"I thought I addressed that before. Muggles lack the robust magical cells that channel magic and they seem to be completely ignorant of the existence of magical energy. But you must remember that this is not an exact science we are dealing with here. This is mostly speculative though most is based on logic and history, however that logic is fallible. Well, I guess that that is about all you didn't know about the origins of magic. So any more questions before we move on? No. Ok then. Well, then I guess it is on to standard spells."

The three kids all sat straighter making sure that they didn't miss a single word that fell from his lips now. Binns waved his hand at the board causing a set of instructions to appear on the board.

"This is the basics of casting spells. Now what is written here on the board is helpful, but the most important thing about purposefully casting a spell is to concentrate. You have all seen successfully used raw magic when Rowena used it by that pond the other day. But raw magic is highly dangerous, and it can draw too much energy leaving you weak or in some cases it can even kill you. However raw magic is usually instinctual or emotionally caused, which means we usually have no control over when or how it is used." Binns paused to allow this to soak through their minds. "However, wandless magic when performed properly can be just as effective as with a wand. But this takes a great deal of training and practise. And you must be focused properly in order to do it. Another very difficult method is non-verbal spells. These again are highly difficult to master but will be a great help if you can master them."

Godric had a determined look plastered across his face as though he desired nothing more than to master both of the difficult tasks he felt Professor Binns had just set him, while Helga looked a little frightened at the many ways that magic could take her life by accident. Rowena was bent low over her book scribbling away in her neat scripted scrawl. Godric leaned over toward her to admire her writing.

"Now I think that that will do us for today. Same time same place tomorrow. You know how to get in if I am not here yet. So be careful, but have fun kids." Binns said as he turned back to his desk.

By the time he turned again the room was empty and the door still hung wide on its hinges. He just laughed to himself as he sat at the desk.

* * *

A/N: Thank you very much to firefawn for allowing me to utilise her incredible explanation of how magic works. To read it in its original form read her amazing story Eclipse of the Sky.


	12. The Encounter

_Chapter 12 – The Encounter_

* * *

Wind howled between the trees as the hooves graced the earth with fleeting glances as the mighty beast above flew along at incredible speed. The thick blonde wavy locks of the rider glided out behind him as he urged more speed from his trusty steed. Topaz cloth billowed out from the rider ahead of him coursing over the horse's mighty flanks as Godric charged after them. A great black shadow flew along beside him as he urged more from Dracari.

A sizzling bolt of gold light whizzed in front of Godric's face. It struck a tree just ahead to his right and it crystallised instantly. Godric's face tightened as he leaned in and whispered something in Dracari's ear.

"Poke him." He said, slightly unsettling himself. He shook his head before leaning in again. "Get his wand."

At this Godric sat bolt upright in bed and waved his wand menacingly in the direction of the voices, a fierce red glow emanating from the tip. The silhouettes just giggled at him before fleeing his room.

"Girls," he mumbled as he pulled himself from his bed and waved his wand at the curtains, flooding the room with light. He quickly pulled on some clean clothes and departed his room only to be confronted once more by giggling.

"I know that I'm tired but did I miss something? What is so funny?" He demanded as Rowena and Helga fell to the floor laughing hysterically. As Godric looked down he nearly turned as glorious a shade of red as the lovely frilly dress he was now wearing. "That's it you two are done for." He growled as he gave chase through the halls running headlong into Lord Hufflepuff.

"Oh, you three! You are too much sometimes." He growled as he picked himself up off the floor. "Take this foolishness outside will you." The girls both turned and ran for the front doors. "What on earth are you wearing there Godric? Let me fix that up for you."

"Thank you, sir," Godric replied as his clothes returned to normal once more. "I'm beginning to wish Professor Binns hadn't taught them that spell." And with that Godric too sprinted out the front door, Pyre following closely behind.

"Children." Muttered Max as he continued on his way.

ϟ

" _Children._ "

"Yes Max, children can be quite a handful can't they." Thomas chuckled as he stood up from the bowl, Max's face shimmering slightly in the freshly disturbed waters. "They can be very troublesome, yet also quite useful." With this Thomas began to laugh, and the sound chilled the very air in the castle as it echoed through the great halls.

ϟ

Their gleeful laughter could be heard throughout the entire forest as the trio chased one another amongst the mighty trees. Animals ran to hide from trampling feet as they thundered through the underbrush knocking past anything that may cross their paths. Suddenly Pyre gave an almighty wail, causing Godric to lose focus long enough to run headlong into yet another solid object. And just as Max had earlier this one too gave way crashing to the ground with him.

"Watch out will you!" Demanded an unfamiliar voice, which originated from a pile of robes amassed on the forest floor. "Do you have any idea who I am?" It demanded.

"Um, no." Replied Godric as he walked cautiously towards the downed figure. "Should I?"

The figure cast the robes from his face to reveal a rather handsome young man, with hair as black as the night and a pair of dull grey eyes. He was not ruggedly handsome as Godric was but a more refined handsome. The type of features you would see of someone born and raised in nobility with the attitude of someone who hated doing any work themselves. Godric could tell that this boy must have been lost.

"I am Salazar Slytherin!" He claimed proudly as he pulled himself from the ground.

A shade of anger passed across Salazar's face when the trio showed no reaction to the name.

"Well, I am Godric. And this is Rowena and Helga, my friends."

"Yes, that's lovely," Salazar replied, his every word cascading with disdain. "Now show me the way out of this dreadful forest will you." He demanded.

"No." Helga retorted.

"What?" Salazar almost fell back over in surprise, which caused Rowena to start laughing. Upon catching sight of Salazar's expression, Godric couldn't help but laugh either. Obviously, he wasn't used to hearing that word. Especially not from anyone like Helga.

"We don't like to be ordered about." Said Helga looking viciously in Salazar's direction. "If you would care to ask nicely though I would be glad to assist you."

Salazar couldn't even respond to this. He just stood there, mouth slightly open staring at Helga.

"Come on guys. I don't like him. Let's go have some fun." Helga stated as she turned and began to walk off on Salazar.

Suddenly Salazar gasped as he grabbed his right shoulder. "No wait please." He stammered, though Godric wasn't sure whether he was actually talking to them or someone else as his gaze flew all about. "P…please can you show me how to get out of here. I have been wandering about for hours." He managed, though it appeared to take a great deal of effort for him to force out. Godric thought he saw a flicker of fear cross his eyes as he caught his gaze, but it vanished as soon as it appeared.

"See now was that really so hard?" Asked Helga as she walked back over to Salazar.

"No, not really." He murmured without catching her eyes.

"It's this way. We should take him to father." Helga said grabbing Salazar's hand and leading him off through the trees.

Godric watched them for a moment before gently taking Rowena's hand and leading her after Helga and Salazar. He whistled shrilly and Pyre flew up through the trees before vanishing in a puff of flame and feathers.

ϟ

"Foolish child!" Thomas screamed as he watched the four children wind their way through the mass of trees. "He nearly blew it right off. Just like his parents. So damn proud." He said to himself as he began pacing his study. "It just seems that I will need to keep a close eye on things. Make sure he doesn't get too proud again. After all, he is nothing more than my servant. And all servants need some reminding every now and then."

He landed roughly in his black leather chair and bent low over the bowl once more.

ϟ

Max jumped as a bright flash of light filled his study. Pyre stood tall on his desk right on top of the parchment he had been reading.

"What is it Pyre?" He asked the bird as it pointed its head toward the window.

Max walked quickly over to the open window and watched as four figures emerged from the forest, three of which he recognised. "Thank you Pyre. You can go back now." He said, without taking his eyes off the group now winding its way back up to the castle, only partially noticing the bright flash over his shoulder. It was several minutes before there finally came a knock on his door.

"Come in, children." He said, leaving all but Godric with a stunned look on their faces. "So who might this be?" he said as he saw Salazar up close for the first time.

"This is Salazar Slytherin, sir. He was lost in the forest and asked us for help." Stated Godric still eying Salazar closely.

"Really. Well, I think you three should go off for a while so I can have a nice chat with our young friend here." Max replied winking slightly at Godric as the others departed the room. Max walked slowly over to the window and stood there for several minutes before moving again.

"So, Salazar is it? How on earth did you end up lost in our forest here?" Salazar's face was impassive again as Max watched him closely. "It is rather out of the way of anywhere I know of."

"I was travelling with a small group of hunter's sir," Salazar replied, the final word only slightly strained as it pierced his lips. "I became separated from them and then your daughter and her friends found me."

Max noticed that there was some stress in his voice again as he uttered the word friends. "Well, one should be more careful when wandering about in strange lands. You could have come across much worse than my daughter in that forest." Said Max with a big grin spread over his features. He continued to study Salazar, weighing his every flinch with great interest.

"I am grateful they managed to assist me, sir." There was no irregularity in his voice this time. Max looked at him carefully.

"Very well. You may shelter here for now if you don't mind. I'm afraid it may be some time before we are able to contact your friends. Is there any town, in particular, you were headed to or not?"

"I know not, sir. I was just following along, as instructed." Salazar said his features softening a little.

"Oh well then. You may stay here as long as necessary for now. Melinda!" Max called.

An older woman not much younger than Max walked in. "You called milord?" She asked bowing slightly to him.

"Yes, Melinda. Young Salazar here will be a guest of ours for a while. Can you please show him to a room?" She bowed again before showing Salazar from the room. "Strange indeed. But for now, I think I must let things progress." Max mused to himself as he peered back out the window once more.

ϟ

It was dark all through the castle as Salazar woke with a sharp pain in his shoulder again. He leapt from his bed and quickly checked the hallway to make sure no one was nearby before pulling a small pouch from his cloak. He quickly grabbed a small mirror out of the pouch and tapped it with the end of his wand.

"Yes, master."

"What took you so long to report?" Thomas demanded as his face appeared in the mirror.

"They have been watching me closely all day master. I haven't had a chance."

"Yes well, you will need to be more careful from now on. You nearly blew it all earlier. I don't care who your parents are if you fail me now I will kill you myself unless that bloody fool beats me to it."

"I understand master. What is it you would like me to do now?"

"Do I need to tell you everything, you idiot boy. The children are obviously learning magic. Allow yourself to be caught using it and they will most likely let you join the classes. Become their friend. Lull them into dropping their guard first though. They suspect you at the moment, and Hufflepuff at least will be watching you closely, if not everyone else as well. You are to report to me every Sunday at dawn. And Salazar, just because I can't see what is happening inside the castle doesn't mean I can't punish you for failure there, as you have already discovered."

And with that Thomas vanished from the mirror. Salazar scowled at the blank glass for a moment before stuffing it roughly back into the pouch and hiding in the bottom of the cupboard.

"One of these days, I'm going to show you, _master_." He mumbled as he scrambled back into bed.

ϟ

Godric fingered his wand as he sat up in his bed. There was something strange about Salazar, but he couldn't quite place what it was. It was like he was hiding something. But Lord Hufflepuff had seemed to believe him. Elsewise, he wouldn't have let him stay.

Pyre gently cooed beside him on the pillow.

"I dunno Pyre. Something isn't right. I just have a bad feeling about him. Something he isn't telling us. And I'm going to find out what. Come on." He said as he jumped out of bed and stuffed his wand into his pocket.

He walked to Max's office and knocked noticing the sliver of light that was emanating from under the jamb.

"Come in." Came Max's voice from inside. "Godric. What can I help you with at this late hour?" He asked as Godric walked inside.

"I'm not sure sir. I just can't help thinking that; well there is something out of place. Something about this Salazar." He said as he walked over and peered out of the window with Pyre perched neatly on his shoulder.

There was a chilling fiery glow hovering over the horizon occasionally split by bursts of green. It would have been beautiful if it didn't scare him so much.

"I understand what you're saying Godric but I can't do anything yet. I just have to watch him and hope he makes a mistake. But it could just be all the trouble we have had lately that is causing us to suspect him for no reason." Mused Max, more to himself then Godric.

"I don't think so, sir. I can feel something coming. So can Pyre. And whatever it is, it's not good." Godric stroked Pyre as a horrific bolt of lightning split the dancing lights in the distance.


	13. Magical Mischief

_Chapter 13 – Magical Mischief_

* * *

The flames licked the trees all around him. Godric turned about searching in vain for his friends, hoping that he wasn't too late.

All of a sudden there was a bright green flash that hit him and Godric woke with a start, drenched in sweat.

His breath was coming in short ragged gasps. For some reason, he just felt as if he had died. He lay back down in his bed clutching his face with his hands, wiping the gathered sweat away, and trying to push the image of the green flash from his mind. His heart began to slow but something about his dream bothered him greatly.

He hadn't had this dream for months now but it had been exactly the same as the last few times, he was trapped alone in a burning forest looking for his friends when a dark figure appears and there is a green flash and that is when he wakes.

Godric shivered as he looked around his room. The dull light that preceded dawn was growing on the horizon but inside his room was still very dark, but there was a flickering light coming from underneath his door.

Ever curious Godric climbed out of bed to investigate, grabbing his wand as he walked to the door and opened it a crack. There was nobody outside and the light disappeared as he swung the door open further. But it suddenly reappeared moments later coming from Salazar's room.

Godric crept toward the door and peered through the keyhole. Salazar was sitting on his bed staring at a candle sitting on the desk. His eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed in concentration. As suddenly as before the candle went out again. Godric's eyes took a moment to readjust but the scene had not changed, Salazar remained in the same place still concentrating. Suddenly the candle sprung to life once more and Godric gasped.

Salazar's eyes sprang open and he slowly ran them around the room stopping at the door.

"Who's there?" he asked as his eyes bored into the wood. He got up and walked to the door swinging it wide but there was no one there. He peered hard in both directions before closing the door and returning to bed.

ϟ

Godric stopped outside Max's room, panting from the long distance he had just run. Once his heart had slowed somewhat he knocked on the door and opened it a little. As ever Max was sitting behind his desk staring at a large pile of papers and glanced up as the door creaked.

"Godric? Why are you up so early?" he asked as he saw the figure enter the room.

"I ah," Godric paused trying to remember why he was even awake. "Oh, bad dream sir. But that's not why I'm here; I have to tell you something. About Salazar."

"What is it?" Max asked standing up and walking over to Godric.

"He is magical sir. I saw him lighting and putting out a candle without going anywhere near it."

Moments passed as time seemed to stop for Max.

"Are you alright sir?" Godric inquired looking slightly worried.

Max didn't even realise he was sitting once more staring out the window blindly. "Yes, Godric I'm fine. Thank you, my boy. Why don't you duck back off to bed and I'll work this out."

"Yes, sir. Goodnight sir." Godric turned a little disappointedly back out the door. Something was definitely wrong, he had never seen Max look so troubled about anything before. But he did as he was told and soon fell asleep once more.

Max, however, sat in the exact same place still stewing over everything he had learned these past few weeks. Three magical children all in the one place was something extraordinary, but now there were four of them. Could this be coincidence, or is someone manipulating them all from behind closed doors?

He quickly scribbled a note onto a scrap of parchment and called Pyre to him.

Please deliver this to Mr Binns for me. It is of vital importance that it reaches him intact, that's why I'm sending you and not an owl."

Max scratched Pyre's head before passing him the parchment and watching him disappear in a bright flash. When he turned back to the door he could swear he saw an eye peeking through the keyhole, which quickly vanished once it was discovered. Max sighed. Too much was happening too fast. This was going to be trouble; he could feel it in his bones. And then Max returned to the papers on his desk feeling significantly older than when Godric had first come in.

ϟ

"Master Salazar, wake up please." The maid prodded him gently as he roused looking somewhat fierce.

"What is it?" He demanded, glaring at the poor girl.

"Professor Binns would like to see you. He is waiting in Lord Hufflepuff's office." And with that, she departed from his gaze as quickly as she could.

"Now what could he want." He mumbled to himself as he climbed up and got dressed before walking nice and slowly to Max's office.

As he opened the door there was a bright flash startling him.

"What was that?" He demanded.

"That is not why you are here today Salazar," Binns replied not the slightest bit fazed by the way Salazar was showing him no respect. "Lord Hufflepuff has asked that I teach you a few things however I must first ask to see what you already know."

"What are you talking about? Are you all crazy?" Salazar was curious as to what this old man thought he could teach him.

"Magic you foolish boy. Do pay attention because you will not find me repeating myself for you." Binns replied matching Salazar's demeanour. "Now come in and sit down. Close the door."

Salazar walked into the room swinging the door closed behind him before dropping into the seat opposite the window. Professor Binns waved his wand at the door locking it securely before settling opposite Salazar.

"Now by last night's performance I understand you can create fire and have at least developed a basic control over your powers, so what else can you do?" Binns asked now once more soft and curious.

"Well, not all that much really. I have had to teach myself mostly." Which was true as not once since he had arrived at Thomas had he been taught anything magical.

"Well, then I guess we will have to start with the basics with you then." Salazar moaned as he looked away. "Or if you'd prefer we could try an extremely difficult spell now and maybe if we're lucky you can kill yourself and save me the trouble." Threatened Binns as he stood up and glared down at Salazar brandishing his wand.

"No, basics are fine," replied Salazar though the attempt wasn't working well as Thomas threatened him hourly.

"Very well then. Now, do you have a wand?" Cuthbert asked.

"Yes, _sir_." He said straining the last word.

"Then take it out and let us begin."

ϟ

The sun was high in the sky as the trio plonked themselves down under the shade of the massive trees at the edge of the forest. The girls were chatting happily together but Godric was more interested in the strange flashes coming from the window of Max's office. He was very concerned about this boy who had just shown up and that concern was eating at him from inside. It had become so bad he had forgotten one very important thing. That he was outside, alone, with Helga and Rowena. When he turned to face them finally they were both rolling on the ground laughing at him hysterically.

"Oh, what have you two done now?" He moaned as he began to pat himself down searching for the source of their great delight.

"Nothing at all Godric." Helga squeezed out still giggling madly.

Godric just glared at her as he kept searching, looking all the way from his hair to his feet. Suddenly he noticed. His feet weren't on the ground.

"Put me down you two." He demanded, setting his hands on his hips and looking at them both very seriously. "I'm not kidding let me down." He reiterated as they began laughing at his new stance.

Rowena stopped laughing long enough to get out "it's not us I swear, "Before falling back into a giggling mound of clothing on the ground.

Godric looked at them both not understanding what was going on. Someone was levitating his body and he couldn't do anything to stop it. But the moment he thought about stopping it he fell in a heap on the ground, causing the girls to completely lose control.

Helga recovered first looking at the other two falling over themselves as something gently landed in their midst from out of the forest. "What is that?" She wondered reaching out to it as the others noticed it too.

Anyone observing the group from afar would have certainly been curious as to why all three were nothing but a pile of dirty looking robes shifting around on the ground. But someone closer would have been much more concerned; for as the little rabbits ran out from under the robes it was clear that they were all that now lay in the shadow of the trees, and the trio was nowhere to be seen.

ϟ

It was dark outside when there came a resounding knock on the door to the office startling Salazar causing him to drop the glass ball he had been levitating. The knock repeated even more desperately as Binns walked across the room and opened the door. Max burst into the room the moment the door was open and Salazar was thrown into his chair as Max began rifling through his desk.

"My word Max, what the devil is the matter?" Asked Binns shocked at the way he had restrained Salazar.

"The children are all gone. They vanished from beside the forest, and he knows why." Max said plainly as he finally sat at his desk resting his gaze on Salazar.

Salazar raised his gaze to meet Max's, a wild grin on his face as he began to laugh.


	14. The Plot Unveiled

_Chapter 14 – The Plot Unveiled_

* * *

The first thing Helga noticed was the steady falling of a trickle of water against unyielding stone. She thought she was dreaming, to begin with, for when she opened her eyes she saw nothing but darkness. But after a few minutes, her eyesight began to adjust to the blackness and she could make out indistinct shapes in the darkness. She could feel the loose and tattered rags she wore hanging from her skin providing very little warmth. She began to shuffle around the room searching for a doorway or opening of any kind.

"Godric? Rowena?" She whispered becoming more frightened by the second as her search yielded nothing more than a well-sealed wooden door. "Are you guys there?"

Helga began to panic. There seemed no escape from the prison she was now sure she was in, completely alone. Tears slowly worked their lonely trek down her cold face as she huddled up in the corner, her terror building with each passing minute. The only thing worse than the darkness and loneliness was the deafening silence.

As Helga hugged her legs and began to cry with the hopelessness of it all there came a small sound from the wall to her right. She sniffed back the tears for a minute listening intently for any noise. It came again. And again. A very distinct scratching coming from inside the wall.

"Godric?" She hoped as she moved toward the sound.

The scratching got louder as she approached the wall until a small head popped out of a tiny crack she hadn't noticed earlier. Helga screamed and jumped back from the creature. The small animal ignored her scream and wiggled its way out of its hole and into her cell. It looked at Helga with unveiled interest, cocking its head to the side as though unsure of what she was.

It approached her slowly, more curious than anything. And Helga shared its curiosity. She had never seen a creature like this one before. It was about the size of a small dog and had black fur that blended with the background, but there were soft plumes of white fur across its body. It approached her unafraid and Helga reached out her hand to the little animal.

"Hello there." She sniffed as the animal sniffed her fingers and allowed her to run her hands through its fur.

The creature was very warm and incredibly friendly. It kept approaching Helga until it was snuggled nicely against her leg. Helga could feel the hopelessness leaving her as the animal curled up on her lap relishing in the warmth of her body, as cold as she felt.

But the little creature couldn't slay her fear entirely and she snuggled up to it in the corner silently hoping that someone would come to help her soon as a horrific pain shot through her entire body.

ϟ

Rowena woke up shivering and cold. Her ragged clothes were wet and horrible as she picked herself up off the floor. Complete darkness surrounded her and the silence that met her ears was impenetrable. Fear clutched at her as easily as the damp rags hanging from her frozen figure. She could hear the beating of her own heart, racing so fast you could almost dance to the beat. She couldn't see a foot in front of her face and slowly extended her arms out from her sides hoping that there was a wall nearby. Her numb fingers rasped against the cold rough surface of a stone wall and she backed against it hoping to find a way out of this nightmare.

"Godric? Helga? Are you guys in here? Is anybody in here?" She half begged to the silence.

Suddenly there was a shockingly loud scraping from across the room and Rowena focused on the noise. As the noise vanished it was replaced by a squeaking and light flooded the room hurting Rowena more than any whip could have at that moment. Her eyes ached as she tried to see what was causing the light. She stood shivering against the wall vainly trying to see as two pairs of hands roughly grabbed her arms and dragged her from the room.

"NO!" She screamed as she kicked out still blinded. "Let me go. Please!" She begged.

Her feet became raw from being scraped over the stone floor, her arms felt like they were being torn from her body and her eyes still burned from the light as they adjusted. As she became accustomed to the light she stopped fighting and concentrated on the hallways she was being dragged through. The stones were a deep black colour and there were no drapings or decorations of any kind on the walls only the occasional alcove on both sides. There was an occasional porthole type window high up the wall where no one could reach them and there was no glass in the windows allowing the weather to come straight in, explaining the cold and the water.

The guards sharply turned a corner and threw Rowena into an open doorway slamming the door behind her. She slowly lifted herself up and looked around the office she was now in. She could see remnants of gold and red tapestries on the walls, long since covered up with silver and black and green ones. The walls were lined with pictures of people in extreme agony and many showed muggles being tortured by wizards.

As she turned she found herself confronted by a very tall man staring at her. Rowena recognised him instantly. It was Thomas. And up close like this he looked positively evil. He was eying her hungrily taking in her terror as though it was food to him. He walked towards her and she backed away tripping on a raised piece of stone. Thomas lifted her by the arms which caused Rowena to moan in pain and threw her sharply into the seat in front of his desk securing her magically.

"Well well well. I got very lucky here didn't I?" Thomas says as he sits opposite her and pulls a small wand from his pocket and rests it on the table. "The king's daughter no less. What fun I can have with you."

Thomas began to chuckle to himself as Rowena struggled vainly to get loose of her bonds, scanning the room again for any way to escape.

"Now now. You better relax. You're going to need your strength." Thomas chortled.

"For what?" Rowena spat at him.

"For this." He replied plainly as he pointed his wand at Rowena and a piercing scream left her lips as he tortured her.

ϟ

Godric was jolted awake, his every muscle screaming with pain as he writhed on the floor. The pain stopped as suddenly as it had begun and Godric took deep breaths trying to steady his heart. His chest felt like someone was driving a red-hot poker through it and the rest of his body didn't feel much better. He propped himself up against the wall and looked around trying to find something useful.

Darkness was all that met Godric's eyes. His heart was beating madly as he picked himself up off the ground. He collapsed again immediately, his insides were churning uncontrollably and he felt as though he was going to throw up. It was like the feeling of taking a portkey but a million times worse, with white-hot needles piercing his body all over. And the effect didn't seem to be wearing off. Suddenly he stopped moving altogether as he remembered the last thing he recalled doing, and who'd been with him.

"Rowena?" He whispered softly; fear now working its way into his already churning insides, "Helga? Are you guys there?"

He willed his eyes to adjust so he could see where he was, hoping that his friends were both asleep on the floor in front of him. But as his eyes adjusted his hope was sucked out of him. He was utterly alone and there didn't seem to be any way out. He tried to stand again, using the stone blocks of the wall like a ladder pulling himself up. His body stilled ached but he ignored it as he wandered around the walls taking in his cell.

He saw the door opposite him and went to make for it just as another wave of pain leapt across his body. He collapsed again his hitting his head hard on the floor. Godric tried to fight the pain off but was too weak from the first attack to do anything. Again the pain stopped again of its own accord and he tried to lift himself up again.

He could feel something warm running down his cheek and he felt his head. There was blood trickling from a wound where his head had impacted the floor. Godric ignored it thinking it wasn't serious enough to worry about. He lifted himself to his feet and started walking slowly to the door. He beat on the door and started yelling.

"HEY! Anybody out there? Let me out of here now!" He demanded as he pounded on the door again and again as though he were trying to break it open with his bare hands.

After several minutes he gave up and slid down the door begging that nothing had happened to his friends, that he wasn't too late to help them.

"Godric?" Came a soft voice from off to his right.

"Hello?" He asked to the darkness searching again hoping maybe he had missed someone lying in a corner or something. "Who is there?"

"It's me Godric, Helga."

Godric's heart started racing as he felt his way around the wall until he found a small hole in the stonework. He couldn't see any light through it but could feel a slight breeze coming through the crack.

"Are you ok Helga? Where is Rowena?" He asked hoping that he would hear her sweet voice coming through the hole.

"I don't know where she is. I haven't seen anyone but Albert since I woke up in here."

"Who is Albert?" Godric asked his curiosity winning out over urgency.

"A furry little guy stuck in here with me."

Godric laughed in spite of himself. Trust Helga to find a new friend in the midst of danger. Suddenly the pain tore through Godric's body again, but he could hear Helga screaming in the next room as well. Godric focused as hard as he could, searching for the source of their agony which stopped as suddenly as before. The lingering pain swept through his body like hot knives.

"Helga are you ok?" He asked the hole.

"I, I think so." She replied. "But Albert just ran off."

"We can find him again later. Right now we have to get out of here."

"But how? The door is sealed shut. Light can't even get in past it."

"Give me a minute and I'll think of something."

Godric felt his heart pounding in his ears as he scanned his room, again and again, searching for anything he could use. Once more the pain shot through him sending him to the floor again writhing in agony.

"STOP!" He screamed as loud as his burning lungs would let him and suddenly the pain went away as another pain tore through him. A brilliant light was tearing at his eyes even through his eyelids. He rolled away from the light until he hit the wall and slowly tried to focus his eyes in the intense light. When his eyes adjusted he saw that his door had been broken off its hinges and knocked out the guard in front of it.

"Helga, you still there?" He asked.

"Yeah. What happened then? I can see some light coming through the crack."

"My door is open. I'm gonna go grab the guards keys and let you out. Cover your eyes, this is gonna hurt."

"Ok" Came the reply as Godric crept over to the door and glanced out. His eyes still burned painfully in the bright sunlight flooding the corridor. He looked both ways down the hall and stepped out over the guard searching for the keys to the cells. He found them and a small dagger which he pocketed and quickly set about opening Helga's door. Helga recoiled from the light as he swung her door inwards and rushed over to her.

"You ok?" He asked as he helped her off the floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said shielding her eyes from the light as Godric guided her out to the hall. "Let's go get Rowena and get out of this place."

Godric noticed that the other cells were already open.

"I don't think she is here. Maybe they..." He couldn't bring himself to vocalise the thought that popped into his head, as though refusing to say it would stop it being true.

"Don't worry she'll be fine," Helga reassured him. "She's even more stubborn than you remember."

They both laughed as they helped one another down the hallway, Godric wielding the dagger in front of them in case someone tried to stop them. The corridor continued for ages slowly angling up as it wound to the left. They both heard footsteps approaching and ducked into a small alcove hoping that it would be deep enough to hide them. Suddenly a tall figure marched past them totally ignoring the alcoves. Helga grabbed Godric's arm as he tried to go after his uncle.

"No Godric, please." She whispered pulling him back. "I need your help to find Rowena. We can get Thomas later."

Godric opened his mouth to argue but Helga just pulled him out of the alcove and headed in the opposite direction to the dungeon. As they reached the end of the hallway they heard someone crying in the room just ahead and they quickly rushed inside closing the door. Godric jammed the dagger into the gap wedging it shut as he scanned the room.

"Who's there?" Rowena asked from her chair, unable to see the door.

"Oh my god, Rowena." Godric rushed to her side and tried to tear the bonds off her arms.

Helga moved around the desk and looked at Rowena while looking over the desk for something they could use to escape.

"I thought I'd lost you," Godric said as he struggled against the ropes. "Are you ok?"

"No. I can't move. Thomas tortured me Godric. He never even asked me a question, he just tortured me. For the fun of it." She said as she passed out.

The bonds on her chair suddenly released spilling her into Godric's arms. He pulled her close against his chest.

"Godric," Helga called getting his attention. "Look what I found."

She held up their wands and a small silver pouch.

"What is that?" He asked, lifting Rowena into his arms and walking over to Helga.

"Floo Powder."

"Quick. To Diagon Alley. They won't expect us to go there." Godric said as he took his wand from Helga. "You go first and I'll pass Rowena through to you. Be careful."

Helga nodded before throwing her powder into the fire. "Diagon Alley." She said and vanished in a bright green flash.

Godric waited a minute before throwing some more powder into the fire. "Diagon Alley." He said before he kissed Rowena on the forehead and pushed her gently into the flames.

He dropped the bag as a loud bang came from the door. He looked back to see shadows moving on the other side of the door. He picked the bag up again and threw the whole thing into the fire whispering "Diagon Alley," into the flames just as the door flew open, flicking the dagger across the room where it wedged into the stones above the fireplace.

Godric glared at his uncle for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever as a silent duel of wills passed between them before Godric stepped into the flames. The last thing he saw is the hatred in his uncle's eyes as he rushed across the room to chase him.

ϟ

Godric landed heavily on the ground and rolled away from the fireplace pointing his wand at the hearth waiting for Thomas to come through. Helga rushed over and pulled him to his feet and dragged him towards the doorway.

"Come on Godric, we have to get going." She pulled him outside where he realised they were in Ollivanders.

"You ok?" He asked as he picked Rowena up again and quickly trotted off after Helga.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But Rowena needs help and soon. Quick down here." She said as they ran through a bunch of alleyways getting further and further from Ollivanders.

She led him just down a small alleyway with several buildings jutting out into it unevenly. Godric collapsed behind a building and just held Rowena tightly against himself and began crying.

"I'm so sorry Rowena. This is entirely my fault. I couldn't protect you like I promised I would. I failed you."

Helga came up behind him and held both of them. "You did Godric. You saved all of us. And in the morning we will find a way to get home." Helga reassured him as he shook with violent sobs.


	15. The Rescue

_Chapter 15 – The Rescue_

* * *

"But we can't stay here." Helga said as she touched his arm softly. "Godric. We need to find a way out of here." Helga pointed to the sky which was slowly turning grey as it always did just before dawn. "We can't stay here, anybody could find us here."

Godric didn't even seem to hear her as she stood up. "I guess I'll have a quick look around then." She said to herself as she looked back up the alleyway. Everything was completely still and quiet except for Godric's sobs. The soft grey light from above gave an eerie look to the entire street giving her the creeps. "I wish I had my owl right now. She could show dad where we are."

There was a bright flash of flame in front of her as Helga finished her sentence scaring both her and Godric as Pyre appeared on the edge of a bin in front of her.

"Pyre!?" What are you doing here?" She asked as she reached out to pat him when he suddenly vanished in another puff of flames. Helga slowly sat back down next to Godric and cuddled up to him as well. "Maybe you're right," she said as despair grips her once more.

ϟ

A great flash of flame appeared right in front of Alexandria shocking her off the chair and onto the floor. Pyre landed softly on the covers of Helga's bed where Alexandria had been sitting since she learned the children were gone. As she looked up at the large bird she felt as though he was trying to convey something to her. Pyre began to sing softly warming Alexandria's spirit and he reached out his claw. Alexandria pulls the small lock of dirty blonde hair from his claw and looked at it closely. She suddenly ran out the door and rushed to Max's office. As she went to bang on the door it swung open and Thomas glared at her from inside. Max was sitting behind his desk with Binns standing behind him as Thomas smiled at Alexandria.

"Remember," Thomas said, as he turned his gaze back to Max, "if you ever want to see them again, you will submit to my demands." Thomas just laughed as he walked out the door shoving past Alexandria.

Alexandria watched his retreating back until it turned the corner. As soon as Thomas was out of sight she rushed into the office, swinging the door closed. She walked briskly over to her husband who was deep in thought.

"Max, I think Pyre found them." She said as Max leaps from his chair.

"What do you mean dear? Where are they?"

She handed Max the lock of hair that Pyre gave her as he swooped onto her shoulder cawing happily. Max fingered the hair for a minute. Then he ran around the desk and grabbed Pyre's tail as he took flight again. Alexandria gasped as both Pyre and her husband disappeared in another flash of flame.

"Good luck dear." She said as she fell into the chair behind her.

ϟ

Helga's eyes were heavy with sleep when a bright flash startled her. She recoiled away thinking that she was back in her cell. When she opened her eyes she could see a dark figure standing in front of her and she gripped Godric tighter while fishing for her wand.

"Thank god you're safe." Said Max walking forward and igniting his wand to illuminate the scene.

Helga leapt at her father and hugged him tightly as she cried into his shoulder. "Dad, I missed you so much. How did you find us?"

"Pyre showed me where to go. That bird will never let anything happen to Godric." He said as he held his daughter tightly. "But right now we need to get you all back to the castle. It's not safe here."

Max let go of Helga and turned to rouse Godric and Rowena.

"Come on Godric, we need to get you all home." Only then did he notice that Rowena wasn't moving. "Oh god, what happened to her?" He asked Helga.

"She was tortured, by Thomas. And I couldn't help her." Godric replied holding Rowena as fresh tears leaked from his eyes.

Helga watched as Max looked into the troubled teen's eyes. He looked around the dark alley for something. He leapt up again and returned with an old newspaper. Helga watched as it glowed blue for a moment before he passed it to her.

"Here, you and Godric use this to get home and I will bring Rowena back myself." He told her as she nodded.

"No. I'm not leaving Rowena again," Godric stated as he pulled Rowena closer, refusing to allow Max to touch her.

"I'm going to be a few seconds behind you Godric. But I don't think she could handle travelling by portkey at the moment. Please just let me take her and go back with Helga." Max pleaded.

"NO!" Godric exclaimed, pointing his wand at Max. "Get away from her now." He ordered, completely hysterical.

Max put his wand on the ground and looked straight into Godric's eyes. "I promise you, everything I own, that no further harm will come to Rowena. You have my word Godric. Just let her go for a minute and we can help her."

Godric slowly lowered his wand and loosened his grip on Rowena as Max reached out and took her from his arms. Godric held her arm right until her fingers slipped through his own.

"Come on Godric. Hold this." Helga said as she helped him hold onto the newspaper.

Godric didn't take his eyes off Rowena's face for one second, not until the world around him dissolved into a great blur and he felt himself being whisked miles away in a matter of seconds until his legs buckled underneath him as he hit the floor of Max's office.

ϟ

The moment the children hit the floor, Alexandria grabbed them both in a great big hug.

"Thank god you are both safe. I was so worried." She said as she squeezed them tightly. "I thought I was never going to see you again." She sobbed out as she began to cry.

Helga hugged her mother back but Godric just sat there exactly where he fell not moving, not smiling, and not happy. The warmth of Alexandria's hug didn't seem to penetrate the hopelessness he felt at having failed Rowena. Max suddenly appeared in the doorway alone.

"Cuthbert I need your help right now. Come with me." He ordered.

"Where is Rowena?" Godric demanded when he saw Max. He pulled himself free of Alexandria's hug and rushed at Max with fury in his eyes. "You promised you would bring her back to me. Now, where is she?" He demanded again his voice becoming menacing.

"Godric wait. She needs the doctor right now. Just let us help her and then you can see her." Max explained as Godric came towards him. "I need you to stay here right now. Please just wait."

Godric rushed towards the door and tried to get past Max who grabbed his arms and pulled him back holding him from getting past. "Calm down Godric. You can't do anything more for her right now. Just be patient."

"No. She needs me. I can't leave her again." Godric strained through clenched teeth as he fought against Max's grip wriggling about trying to get free.

"Cuthbert, help me please," Max begged as Godric felt the spell connect with his side and he turned and glared at Binns who looked as though he had been hit by the stunner. The next one hit him squarely in the chest and Godric fell down unconscious.


	16. Life and Death

_Chapter 16 – Life and Death_

* * *

Thomas quickly made sure that no one was following him and began rushing down the corridor to his right. He didn't have long to pull this off. He had lost all three of his prisoners and he was going to make sure he didn't leave this castle empty-handed. He was disgusted by all the happy pictures lining the halls as he made his way, left and right swiftly moving along the path Salazar had given him.

He could see the doorway now; it was slightly ajar, obviously not locked. He smiled to himself thinking that Max just makes things too easy sometimes. He drew his wand and crept forward slowly sliding the door open further. He could see James standing over the figure in the bed. Thomas grinned maliciously as he brought his wand down in a violent slashing motion and laughed as a great bloody gash opened in the back of James' robes revealing a deep cut.

"Too easy." He mumbled as he stepped over James' body and severed the ties holding Salazar to his bed. "You are beginning to be more trouble than you're worth boy. Enervate."

Salazar's eyes opened and he sat up. Thomas just glared down at him and ordered him to move now. Salazar could see the fury in Thomas' eyes and did not wait to be told a second time. He quickly jumped off the bed and ran to the door. Thomas moved to follow the boy but stopped and turned back looking at James. He smiled again as he pocketed his wand and lifted James' body, dragging him over to the doorway. He propped the body against the back of the door and drew his dagger from its sheath and drove it through James' wrists pinning him to the door his feet dangling several inches from the floor.

"Goodbye James," Thomas cackled as he closed the door and hurried for his carriage outside.

ϟ

Alexandria sighed as she looked at Godric's limp form lying in his bed as the two servants who had put him there left the room. She closed the door gently and locked it magically.

"Come on Helga. I think you should go and get some rest as well. That must have been very traumatic, sweetie." She hugged Helga tightly and walked her to her room tucking her in.

"I love you so much, mum," Helga said as a tear leaked from her eye.

"I love you too sweetie." She replied as she kissed her on the forehead and got up walking to the door. "Sweet dreams."

The door clicked as it shut and Alexandria rested her head against the wood for a moment, gathering herself. Then she briskly walked down to Rowena's room to help her husband treat her wounds. The halls seemed dark and empty as she walked, without the laughter of the three happy children to brighten them up. When she arrived at Rowena's door she swung it open to find no one else in there. She walked over to the bed and sat next to Rowena who stirred.

"Godric?" She asked softly, the sound cracking slightly as it passed her dry lips.

"No dear it's me Alexandria. Everything is going to be alright." She replied softly running her fingers through Rowena's dirty hair.

"Thomas," Rowena started as Alexandria places her finger against her lips.

"Ssshhh. You need to rest."

Max entered quietly behind her walking over and resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Alexandria. I can't find James. Have you seen him?" He asked quickly.

"He went to check on Salazar dear."

"Please," Rowena whispered gently reaching for Alexandria's hand. "It's important. Thomas said once he finished with us, he was going to come back here and get Salazar. He's going to..." Her voice trailed off as she passed out again.

A terrible thought passed through her mind as she considered what Rowena had just told them. "Oh, Max. James."

ϟ

Max didn't need to hear any more than that and quickly ran out the door rushing towards Salazar's room. He threw the door inwards seeing an empty room. But he heard a low moan coming from inside. He looked down at the floor and saw that blood was slowly spreading outwards from the door. He stepped over the scarlet pool and looked around the room again, pushing the door further as he moved.

There was an almighty yelp as the door struck the wall. Max turned and looked, but the door hadn't hit the wall. Something was stopping it reaching. He reached out and swung the door closed and gasped loudly as he saw James dangling by his hands blood flowing from where the dagger held him to the door.

"Oh James. I'm so sorry. Hold on." He said as he grabbed his friend around the waist to take the weight as he pulled the dagger from his wrists.

James screamed as the jagged blade tore at his flesh on its way out. His arms fell to his side as he lacked the energy to hold them up himself. Max quickly carried him over to the bed and tore the hangings from the bed and tied them over the wounds trying to stay the bleeding.

"James? Can you hear me?" Max questioned gently tapping his friend's cheek. "Please stay with me." He begged.

James opened his eyes and looked up at Max as a small smile spread gently across his features. "Don't worry my friend. I am happy to have spent my life serving you." Alexandria walked into the room as Max knelt beside James crying. "I'll be sure to say hello to Nicole for you. Goodbye, my friend." James said as he closed his eyes and leant back and took his final breath.

"Goodbye, my friend," Max said as he broke down.

Alexandria walked over to his shaking form and slid her hands around him holding him closely.

ϟ

Godric woke up slowly, his body aching as though he hadn't moved in days. He noticed that his clothes had been changed and someone had washed him. He wondered how long he had been out for. He got out of bed slowly. His whole body ached as he walked over to the door. His anger boiled to the surface when the handle would not turn. He began beating on the door.

"Let me out now. You can't keep me in here forever. MAX!" Godric shouted through the door determined to get free.

No one seemed to hear him and this only made him madder. Suddenly he spun about as he heard something at his window. He smiled as he opened the window and let Pyre swoop inside.

"At least you're free my friend." He said as he stroked Pyre. "I can't even go and check on my friends."

Godric huffed as Pyre looked up at him. As Godric's hand touched Pyres feathers he felt a large warmth spread rapidly throughout his entire body as a bright flame engulfed him. His heart caught in his throat at the sight but a moment later it disappeared as he glanced around. He was in Rowena's room, and she was lying in her bed sleeping contentedly. Godric smiled at Pyre and scratched his head.

"Thanks, buddy."

Pyre just cooed and flew out through Rowena's open window. Godric turned to face Rowena and saw that she still had signs of the cuts and bruises from Thomas' torture. But they were healing well. James must have done a really good job, Godric thought as he ran his fingers softly through her hair which glinted just like it had the day they first visited the unicorns. She had also received a new set of clothes and a wash. Not that Godric minded. She was always beautiful to him. He felt a single tear run softly down his left cheek as he watched her sleep.

"I will never again let anything happen to you again Rowena. I promise." He whispered as he closed his eyes.

Rowena gently opened her eyes and looked up at Godric. "Hello there." She said startling Godric as he hadn't noticed her wake.

"Hi." He replied. He was so happy that she was ok that he could have cried. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." She said smiling at him. She ran her hand down his cheek tracing the path of the tear. "Why were you crying?"

Godric couldn't help but laugh. Even as bad as she felt, she still worried about him. But the laughter soon passed as he remembered the feeling in his chest when he had found her in Thomas' office a few days earlier.

"I failed you, Rowena. I promised your father I wouldn't let anything happen to you and I failed."

Rowena slowly lifted herself up until she was sitting level with Godric as tears began to stream down his face. She reached forward and drew him closer to her, kissing him softly yet lovingly on the lips. Godric melted against her as she drew all the pain and anguish from him. He could taste his own tears on her skin as she continued to kiss him. When she finally pulled back he couldn't even speak.

"You didn't fail me Godric. You saved me. Helga told me all about how you saved all of us. If it wasn't for you, we would all still be Thomas' prisoners."

Godric smiled at her and gently brushed aside a solitary hair that fallen across her face as they kissed. He just looked deeply into her eyes, losing himself in their depths

"If it wasn't for me you never would have been caught in the first place." He replied.

"You're right." She said back hurting him slightly that she would agree. "I would have died that day in front of you and my father when that dragon ate me."

Godric found himself laughing in spite of himself. He cared for her so deeply. And she knew just how to make him feel better. They just sat there in each other's arms losing all track of time until they were shocked back to reality by someone throwing the door open. Godric was on his feet in seconds wand pointed at the doorway.

"Thank Merlin." Max breathed as he clung to the doorway for support, obviously out of breath.

"What?" Godric asked as he watched Max cross the room and sit on the chair next to Rowena's bed following him with his wand the entire way.

"I thought you had been kidnapped again. Please never do that to me again Godric." Max said as he drew in several long deep breaths.

Godric lowered his wand slightly but didn't put it away. Helga walked in after her father vacated the doorway and gave Godric a great big hug before giving Rowena one as well then sat down next to her father. A soft hand grabbed Godric's wrist and pulled him back onto the bed as Rowena slid her arms around his form and rested her head against his chest.

"Come back here and hold me again." She whispered as he held her tightly again.

"I am sorry for everything. To all three of you. Everything that has happened recently has been my fault." Max said as he rested his head in his hands.

"I think it's time you stopped protecting us and told us the truth dad," Helga said from his side.

Max looked up at his daughter and then around at the other two teenagers in front of him. He sighed deeply as they could see him thinking it over. "Alright. Helga, go sit down with the others and I'll tell you everything."

Helga walked over and sat next to Godric as Max walked over to the door and sealed it magically to prevent prying ears from listening in. He sat back in his chair and looked at the trio in front of him but didn't say anything. Godric could see that he was thinking hard about something but couldn't figure out what.

"I guess it starts with your parents Godric." Max started looking at the young man. "A few years before you were born there was almost a war. Not one that the muggles knew about though. It was a battle between magical folk. Many believed that it was our divine right as higher beings to rule over muggles and all other creatures in this world. Thomas was a driving force on that side of the argument."

Max sighed as he remembered the hard times. "Your parents, however, felt exactly the opposite. That we were here to guide and protect the muggles. Unfortunately, there were, and still are, plenty of witches and wizards who think as Thomas does, though not all of them are willing to do anything about it themselves. Anyhow, there was a serious problem about fifteen years before you were born. The Lord in the lands where your parents lived had died and left no heir. Naturally, Thomas saw this as the perfect opportunity to begin seizing the control he was after. Xavier fought against him and was eventually instated by your father Rowena."

Rowena gasped as the news sunk in and Godric pulled her close and kissed her forehead again trying his best to comfort her.

"Obviously this made Thomas very mad and he swore to get revenge on them both. Not much was hears of Thomas for several years and I'm ashamed to say we all grew complacent, believing he had given up his plans. Until three other Lords were mysteriously murdered. We have never been able to prove it but Xavier and I knew Thomas was behind it. He soon managed to get people supportive of his arguments into these positions but no more came of it until a year before you were born."

"What happened?" Godric asked as Max paused.

"Be patient Godric. This isn't something I enjoy talking about all that much." Max replied as he stood up and walked over to the window for a moment, trying to compose himself before continuing. "Thomas set his sights on enacting revenge on your parents and began spreading dissent throughout their lands, trying to turn your parent's people against them. All this came to a head one extremely stormy night almost sixteen years ago right outside these walls."

"Your parents left the castle that night with a large convoy, planning on coming here to give birth to you and protect you from the troubles in their own lands. They were ambushed and all but Xavier, Jennifer and their driver were killed. They rushed here with all haste but Thomas had planned on this and sent your cousins, Charles and Belladonna to intercept and kill anyone who survived the ambush. Xavier fought with them only a stone's throw from this castle while the driver rushed to the castle and brought Jennifer inside."

Max stopped again and returned to looking out the window. Godric kissed Rowena softly before standing up and walking over to Max. Max turned to look at him and Godric could see the tears flowing down his cheeks. Godric embraced Max in an attempt to help him assuage his guilt.

"What happened to them was not your fault," Godric told him as he helped Max back to his seat.

"You don't understand Godric. I learned what Thomas was doing but only shortly after I learned that Alexandria was pregnant with Helga here. I chose not to help your parents earlier for fear of repercussions on my own family. I let them die." At this Max broke down completely sobbing uncontrollably into his hands. Godric pulled Max to him again as Helga came over and held her father as well. "I'm so sorry Godric. Please forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you, sir," Godric said calmly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I would have been disappointed in you if you had chosen to sacrifice your own family in order to maybe help mine. I am sure Thomas' plan would have succeeded no matter what assistance you gave my parents."

Max smiled through his tears at Godric even as the tears still flowed as Godric smiled back.

"Thank you, Godric. You both go sit back over there and I'll continue." Max sniffed back the tears that still wanted to fall as Godric walked back over to Rowena and embraced her once more as Helga sat on the other side of Rowena and held her as well.

"After they, killed Xavier, Charles and Bella entered the castle and began searching for Jennifer. We managed to capture them both but not before Bella killed Nicole, James' daughter. After dealing with them both I returned to help your mother to find that she was in serious trouble. It appeared that during the ambush one of Thomas' men had managed to poison Jennifer with diluted Basilisk venom. We were very lucky to get you alive Godric. She died just minutes after giving birth to you. But not before she begged me to protect you from Thomas."

"I could only think of one way to keep you safe at that point. That was to fully remove my opposition to Thomas' plans. As much as it pained me to see it, Thomas took over your father's old position and began to spread his claws into everything he could lie and cheat his way into. But I focused my attention on you and my newly born daughter. I wasn't going to let anything happen to either of you. But when you had reached ten years of age the King began to take an interest in my counsel. It appears he had noticed that someone inside his own country was plotting against him."

"So how come he hasn't had Thomas killed for treason or something?" Godric inquired.

"Because I couldn't just go up to him and say it's Thomas. I needed to provide the King with proof. And to do that would require putting you both in extreme danger, not to mention revealing you to Thomas. So I helped out where I could while appearing to do nothing. It was at this point that I learned that Maeve was a witch and that I asked her to begin schooling Helga in magic. I would usually take you out camping or something when she came by Godric, in order to keep you from, well you know. Not that it worked very well."

Everyone in the room began to laugh at this. The mood of only moments before seemed to have lifted slightly.

"Well that brings us up to the day that the King arrived a few months ago where you both met young Rowena here. The King and I had long discussions about the fact that he believed several of his generals had turned rogue and were now plotting with this hidden figure to remove him from the throne. It wasn't long before Thomas managed to instigate a war that would draw the King away from England and leave the throne open for his taking. The only thing he sees as stopping him now is you Godric."

"What? Why me?" Godric asked shocked at this revelation.

"Because he knows now that you will not side with him on his quest. He has ways of spying on us even here and he has learned of you and your accomplishments. That is why he kidnapped you all. He knew that if he took your friends as well, then he could force you to his viewpoint by torturing them. Thankfully you all managed to get free before he could do any permanent damage. Though unfortunately not soon enough to save poor Rowena the awful ordeal she has been through."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine in a few weeks. And then I'll be by Godric's side as he topples that maniac."

"You'll do no such thing. I am not letting you anywhere near that bastard again." Godric said firmly. "I'm not going to let him hurt you again."

"You don't have a choice. I'm not going to set aside while he steals my father's throne. And besides this is personal now. I have a score to settle with him." Rowena stated a steely resolve was visible in her green eyes as Godric looked at her.

"Well, I have news for both of you. You're not going anywhere at the moment. And besides, none of you knows any offensive magic yet. Those spells are too advanced for you to even attempt yet. And I will not let Binns teach you it until you are ready. Now I think that that is more than enough information for you all for now. You should all go and get some more rest. And this time I promise I won't lock the door." Max said with a slight grin on his face.

"Alright." The trio chimed at once.

Godric held Rowena tightly before kissing her softly the moments drawing on as their lips seemed joined.

"He-hem." Helga coughed beside them. "You two finished?" She teased as she hugged Rowena and left the room.

"Goodnight Rowena. I love you." Godric whispered into her ear as he held her once more.

"I love you too." She replied as Godric slowly walked to the door. He looked back once before Max ushered him through the doorway.

"Goodnight Rowena." He said as he shut the door.


	17. Confrontation

_Chapter 17 – Confrontation_

* * *

A horrific scream escaped his parched lips as he writhed on the ground in agony. He thought that after weeks of this that he would be used to it, or at least completely numb to pain, but every time the spell was placed on him Salazar would feel every last moment of agony. Thomas seemed to have little else to entertain his time with at the moment and thus delighted in reminding Salazar of what reward failure receives. At first, he proclaimed his innocence in the matter. After all, Salazar had been a prisoner at the Hufflepuff castle when the children had escaped Thomas' grasp, but he soon learned that criticising your torturer is not a very good idea.

"Get up you little worm. I have something more important than your ineptitude to deal with today." Thomas demanded as he strode from the room cloak billowing behind him as Salazar gasped for air on the floor.

Salazar slowly extricated himself from the floor and limped after his master. He knew another torturing could always be squeezed in between Thomas' other tasks for the day. He scuttled after Thomas never letting him from his sight as they descended into the very depths of the castle, further down than Salazar had ever been before.

"Come we have work to do. Or I will use you for one of my experiments." Came Thomas' voice as Salazar realised he had stopped outside the door. He was reluctant to pass through here as the stench of death met his nostrils. "SALAZAR!"

"Coming sir." He said quickly entering the room, his fear of Thomas outweighing his fear of what was in the room.

He quickly changed his mind on that count when he saw what lay in wait in the bowels of the castle. Thomas had been very busy in the last few weeks.

"After the constant failure I was getting from my useless living servants, I have decided to open my plans to include some more, unconventional means," Thomas said as Salazar looked in horror around the room.

Hundreds of dead bodies and skeletons were lining the walls staring at him. Every step he took was monitored from every corner of the room. It was a truly gruesome sight as two at a time; they moved onto a small stone circle on the floor and began to duel with each other. Swords clashed as limbs were severed. Unearthly battle cries and chanting filled the room making Salazar sick.

"Necromancy is a lost art these days. Such a shame. It's such a useful practise. Don't you think so Salazar?" Thomas said looking maliciously at him.

Thomas bore an enormous grin as yet another pair entered the arena and joined the fray. As Salazar stepped closer to the arena he had to turn away as he threw up. Partially decomposed bodies and their parts littered the floor. Some of them still attempted to continue fighting even after they had been completely severed from the rest of the body. There were arms trying to strangle other bodies as Thomas stood over the chaos laughing.

"You have no idea what I had to go through to get these scrolls," Thomas said indicating a bunch of aged scrolls littering the table to his right. "But more than worth it. See Salazar everyone can now be useful to my campaign. If anyone opposes me I can simply kill them and then recruit them to my new army. And when we march soon, to aid the King, of course, we shall garner numbers that no army on earth can resist."

And with that, he erupted with laughter once more and walked from the room leaving Salazar overlooking the pit of death. Salazar managed to tear his gaze from the horrid sight and began to look at the scrolls on the table. Many of them were written in languages he didn't even recognise much less understand. But he noticed one thing about all of them. They were all written on skin, and all were written in blood.

"This is going too far." He mumbled to himself as he looked once again at the arena in which the creatures were still fighting away. "I can't be a part of this anymore."

Salazar rolled up the scrolls one by one and slipped them into a bag that was lying on the table. Once he had all the scrolls he slowly worked his way back up the stairs towards the castle. As he reached the ground level he rushed to the statue of Xavier Gryffindor, the only remaining sign of the castles previous tenant. He looked about trying to see if there was anybody nearby before he tapped the statue with his wand. The base slid forward several feet and Salazar quickly jumped into the tunnel below as the statue closed above his head once more.

He rushed as fast as he could down the dank and slippery tunnel hoping that Thomas hadn't noticed he had left yet. The tunnel continued on for many miles before it came out in a hilly field near a small village. Salazar hurried to the inn and ran quickly inside. The inn was full of farmers having just finished up for the evening and were making the most of their evening. He walked over to the bar and called to the barman.

"Good sir. I am seeking assistance in travelling east. Do you know of anyone I could see?" He asked trying to remain civil even to these inferior muggles.

"Why yes. Go see that fellow over there." He pointed out an elderly man sitting alone in the doorway. "He'll sort you right, laddie."

"Thank you, kind sir," Salazar replied as he dashed over to see the old man. "Excuse me, sir, the barkeep told me to see you about travelling east. Can you help me out?"

"Aye boy, but it'll cost ya." The man replied.

Salazar just threw a small bag onto the table. "When can we leave?" He asked as the man opened the bag and smiled broadly.

"Right away young master. Follow me."

Salazar followed the old man to the stable out behind the inn. There were a great many horses tied up, some looking rather ragged and worse for wear. But the pair the man led him to look very quick and very healthy.

"Here we are, sir. Just hop up and we'll be on our way."

Salazar grinned broadly as He climbed up and spurred the horse out into the darkening night. The old man was a lot sprier then he had first appeared as Salazar worked hard to keep up most of the night. They rode for many long hours until the sun began to peek over the hills once more. And his destination came into view.

"That will do us." He said. "I can finish this journey on my own."

Salazar threw the man another larger bag of gold and the man bid him goodbye before heading back the way he had come. Salazar urged his horse forward but stopped when he got closer to the castle. He was fairly certain that they would not be very happy to see him back here.

Just as he was about to turn to leave he saw a solitary figure riding towards the forest on a white horse. Maybe if I can get one of them alone I can convince them to hear me out, he thought as he urged his horse after the lone figure and into the forest.

ϟ

Godric slowed Dracari as he weaved gently through the trees. It was the first time he had entered the forest since his kidnapping and he was quite content to just enjoy the peace. He came across a small pond and Dracari stopped to have a drink as Godric dismounted and took a look around. As he left the small path he heard a twig snap just up ahead and he drew his sword and slowly crept forward keeping his eyes peeled. High above him, he could see Pyre chasing a flock of birds through the trees. All alone on this one, he thought as he continued forward.

Suddenly a large brown horse leapt through the brush ahead of him and charged past him running for a way to leave the forest. Godric could hear its rider ahead groaning where he had fallen off. He continued forward, sword at the ready as he approached the body.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our forest. He demanded as he pointed the tip of his sword at the bundle rolling on the ground.

"I come bearing terrible news and to offer my services to you, Sir Gryffindor."

Godric was taken aback that the figure knew him. "Who are you? Show your face stranger." He instructed moving forward again.

He felt a surge of anger as he saw Salazar reveal his face and hold up his arms in defence. "YOU!"

"Please wait one moment Godric. I had no idea what Thomas was planning. I only ever did what I was told."

"Because of you, James is dead. And Rowena was tortured. And you expect me to just welcome you into our castle once more?" Godric roared as he advanced on Salazar pressing the cold blade against his throat.

"No more than I deserve for my actions." Salazar uttered each word distorted by the sword against his throat. "But I offer my help now and I bring news of Thomas' full plan. I even bring you important documents to help defeat him."

"Why should I believe you?" Godric spat drawing a trickle of blood as he pressed the sword harder against Salazar's throat.

"Because you are a better man than your uncle. And you can find the good in someone. And because I want to fix the terrible things I have done, especially to you and your friends. I have nowhere else to go, so if you don't believe me kill me now because Thomas will surely hunt me down and kill for taking these." Salazar responded pointing to his bag as tears began to form in his eyes. "I leave my fate up to you."

ϟ

Godric didn't answer as his mind raced over what Salazar had said. Godric raised his sword gripping it tightly with both hands. His mind was screaming things at him and he couldn't think clearly through all of the noise. Salazar just looked back up at him with fear in his eyes.

Helga warmed her hands by the fire as Rowena plonked herself down in the seat next to her.

"You know I really love your library. There is so much here to read." Rowena said brightly as she opened the twelfth book she had read this morning.

Helga just laughed as she watched her friend. Rowena had recovered quickly from the horrors she experienced during their brief kidnapping. It was amazing how resilient she was. If anything she was stronger than ever after the experience.

"Helga dear." Her mother called from the doorway. "Are you in here?"

"Yes, mother. We are by the fire." She called back as her mother walked over to them.

"Hello there Rowena. How are you feeling today?" Alexandria asked smiling at the young girls.

"I feel like new, thanks to you and Lord Hufflepuff that is," Rowena replied.

"That's wonderful. You certainly look much better. Has either of you two seen Godric this morning? Max wanted to speak with him but I can't find him anywhere.

"No mum. Maybe he went for a walk or a ride." Helga chimed as happy as ever.

"I'm sure he's fine," Rowena added. "He just needs a bit of time that's all. He has a lot to think about to the moment."

"I'm sure he does. Well if you two see him tell him Max wants to see him ok? Thanks." Alexandria ruffled her daughter's hair before turning about and walking out into the hall.

Helga watched her mother leave before turning to Rowena. "You don't think he's in trouble do you?" She asked looking concerned.

"I don't think so, but I'm a little worried about him anyway. Maybe we should go outside and look for him. Maybe he went to see the unicorns."

"Yeah," Helga replied hesitantly looking at Rowena.

"Helga, come on, I'm fine you don't need to worry about me all the time," Rowena said climbing out of the chair and heading for the door.

"Look, Helga, I'm fine and I'm going to look for Godric. Now, are you coming or not."

Helga just smiled before walking over to her friend. "Good to have you back Rowena." And with that, they both headed for the stables as quickly as they could.

ϟ

Godric stood rooted to the spot as he stared down at Salazar glaring into his grey eyes as if searching his soul for some sign of the truth. He turned quickly as he heard someone approaching behind him and saw Helga and Rowena picking their way through the forest behind him.

"Godric, what are you doing all the way over here?"

Godric didn't answer as he turned back to face the still quivering form of Salazar.

"Hello. Godric." Rowena chimed from behind him as the girls drew closer.

Godric hesitated for a moment before yelling loudly and bringing his sword down just as the girls stood by his side. Salazar whimpered audibly and covered his face with his hands as he felt the sword embed itself in something solid. He opened his eyes to see the sword half buried in the tree root beside his head and Godric holding out his hand to help him up. Salazar just lay there for a moment staring up at the trio looking down at him before taking Godric's hand and standing up again.

"Thank you, Godric." He said as he quickly brushed himself off. "I am in your debt."

"Prove that you have changed to me right here and now, or I'll remove that sword and behead you myself," Godric ordered as the girls gasped beside him.

"Godric don't. He isn't worth it." Helga begged as Godric pulled the sword out of the tree root.

"Very well. Rowena, I will need your help to perform this." Salazar said as he withdrew a small scroll from the bag and passed it to Rowena. "If you would."

Rowena read the scroll and then passed it to Godric. "I believe that this would be sufficient."

Godric passed Helga his sword before kneeling on the ground. Salazar mirrored his action and held out his right hand. Godric took it with his own as Rowena placed the tip of her wand onto their hands.

"Do you swear to help us foil Thomas' plan to overthrow the King?" Godric asked staring straight into Salazar's eyes.

A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the end of Rowena's wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire.

"I so swear," Salazar replied staring back into Godric's eyes as he spoke.

A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain.

"Do you swear that you have relinquished the ways of your master and promise to do exactly as I instruct you?" Godric inquired narrowing his eyes.

Salazar hesitated and swallowed hard before speaking. "I so swear."

The moment the final word left his lips the whole area glowed red in the blaze of the third tongue of flame, which shot from the wand, twisted with the others and bound itself thickly around their clasped hands like a rope, like a fiery snake. The fire glowed brightly then disappeared as the boys stood back up.

"Very well. Let's go back to the castle. We have things to do." Godric said as he turned around and started walking back to the pond.

Helga and Rowena just stared at Salazar for a moment before following Godric back to the path.

"Well. That went well." Salazar said to himself as he trundled after the trio.

ϟ

Max gazed out the window thoughtfully watching the clouds chasing one another through the air when a flash of white caught his eye. He watched as the children rode out of the forest heading back toward the stable. As he looked harder he noticed that there was someone else riding behind Godric. As he watched he saw that the extra figure was Salazar and he turned and rushed as fast as he could down to the stable.

When he arrived he saw the children walking toward the exit and he drew his wand and made straight for Salazar. As he approached though Godric waved his own wand and Max's wand flew from his hands.

"What did you do that for Godric? He is Thomas' servant." Max demanded as the children continued walking past him. "Godric?"

"We don't have time to talk right now Max. I'll explain later." He said as he ushered Salazar inside followed by the girls who both looked a bit worried at Godric's demeanour.

Max simply stood there as the children disappeared inside the castle.


	18. Dreams of Disaster

_Chapter 18 – Dreams of Disaster_

* * *

Binns rummaged through the deep trunk trying to find the right book. He was busy preparing the new class work now that Rowena was well enough for them to continue classes. He was so far in the chest that his feet were no longer touching the floor. His legs were flailing in the air as he found the book he was searching for. He tried to extract himself from the chest but found he couldn't move. Too much of his body was in the chest and he couldn't get enough momentum to get back out.

"Ah is anybody there? I need some help please." Binns called still trying to get himself out.

Two pairs of hands grasped his legs and pulled him up while another two grabbed him around the waist and pulled him out of the chest. When his feet touched the ground he turned to thank the trio for pulling him out and found himself face to face with Salazar. Binns dropped the book and immediately went for his wand but could feel a hand on his waist and he realised someone had just taken it. He spun around to see who was with Salazar and found Helga and Rowena laughing at his reaction while Godric held his wand out to him.

"We need your help, Professor," Godric stated as Binns took his wand back and turned back to Salazar.

Godric jumped in between the two and shook his head. "It's alright Professor. He is on our side now."

Binns eyed Salazar warily and looked at Godric trying to work out what enchantment Salazar had cast on the young man. "What do you need Godric."

"We need you to teach us all the offensive spells that you know. And we aren't leaving here until we have mastered them." Godric said matter-of-factly.

"What." Binns stumbled. "Why do you need to know them? We aren't supposed to do offensive magic for months yet."

"Because I'm sick of always being on the back foot around here. We finally have some idea of what Thomas is planning and now we need to stop him. The sooner we can do so the better."

"But a lot of these spells are highly dangerous."

"Then teach us carefully," Godric replied making the others laugh as Binns watched him closely.

Godric wasn't laughing with the girls. In fact, he was just standing there, a steely resolve in his eyes. Binns knew immediately that he wasn't going to talk them out of this.

"Alright then. Everybody outside for a minute." Binns said as he marched them all out of the room.

He closed the door and they watched it recede into the wall again. Binns put his wand on the wall and thought of the room they would need to practise these spells and the door reappeared. He opened it up to gasps from the kids as they looked into the cavernous space inside. They all walked in and he swung the door shut behind himself as he followed them. The room had a huge ceiling well out of normal reach and there were targets all around the walls. The floor was soft and spongy and there was a bookshelf in the corner with all sorts of books about offensive magic and how to defend yourself. In the very centre of the room was a set of dummies that could be enchanted to move about for moving target practice.

"Now most of these spells are only designed for temporary disarming or stunning nothing more." He said taking on a very serious air as he drew his wand again. "However you must still be extremely careful, especially in here. We don't want to go hurting anyone. Now, are you ready?'

They all nodded and drew their own wands and faced the targets on the walls.

ϟ

The door swung outwards and the four teens poured out the door like water through a clenched fist. They were completely exhausted having been in the Room of Requirement for three straight days. Alexandria had brought them food several times and expressed her concern that this wasn't good for them all but they had ignored her and pressed on regardless. All of them had surpassed Binns in casting the spells and towards the end, he had even begun instructing them on how to use non-verbal spells as had been his original intention for the next lesson.

"Well, that was certainly a lot of fun. Thank you very much for that highly traumatic experience Godric." Salazar said sarcastically as they used the wall to support themselves as they walked back to their rooms.

"At least we are kind of prepared now." Helga defended.

"Yeah but I doubt any of those spells are going to be very useful against undead skeletons. I mean can you even stun a skeleton?" Godric commented.

"I doubt it. I came across something in a book I was reading the other day. Maybe there is some more stuff in there we can use." Rowena said nearly out of breath.

"Maybe. But it can wait until tomorrow." Helga stated as Godric's eyes lit up.

"Sounds good to me," Salazar said. "Now where am I sleeping in this place?"

"I'll show you," Helga said as she took his hand. "Goodnight you two. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night." Godric and Rowena chimed at the same time as the other two walked off.

Rowena suddenly slid down the wall and Godric rushed over to help her up.

"Are you alright Rowena?" He asked looking really concerned.

"I'm fine. I just need to get a little rest. I'm still not a hundred percent just yet." She smiled back at him.

"Alright, lean on me and let's get you to your room," Godric said taking her weight even though he felt like he was going to fall over himself.

It took them nearly half an hour to walk back to Rowena's room but they made it. Godric laid her gently into bed and went back to the doorway and closed the door before returning and helping her to bed properly.

"Godric," Rowena said her eyes fluttering closed as she yawned.

"Yes." He said gently stroking her hair again.

"Do you wanna stay with me tonight? I feel like some company."

Godric just smiled as he leant down and kissed her. "Of course I will sweetie." He said as he threw his top on the floor and climbed in beside her gently feeding his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Goodnight Godric." She whispered as she snuggled up against him.

"Goodnight Rowena." He replied watching as she silently drifted off to sleep before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself.

ϟ

The trees around him roared with flame. Godric stumbled over a rock on the ground as he pushed forward down the path as he searched for his friends. The heat beat at him like a drunken troll and the sound of the flames roared in his ears almost overpowering his own voice as he yelled for his friends.

"ROWENA! HELGA! SALAZAR!" He yelled into the forest. "Anybody? Are you guys there?"

He got no response and pushed on forward feeling that there was something ahead he needed to do. He saw a clearing ahead and hoped it might be a little cooler if he could get away from the trees a bit. As he entered the clearing he saw all three of his friends fighting a throng of skeletons and they were one by one, disarmed and knocked to the ground. Helga hit her head on a rock and was knocked out cold as Salazar held her away from the fire and shielded her from the skeletons. Godric drew his sword and charged the skeletons as they advanced on Rowena who was casting spells at them left and right until something disarmed her, her wand flew away into the burning trees.

"Godric! Help us please." She begged as she saw him fighting with the skeletons.

"I'm trying. Check on Helga." He yelled as he severed arms and legs.

The skeletons continued after him in single-minded pursuit. Nothing seemed to stop them except removing all their limbs and knocking their heads off. And even then stray limbs would chase after him. Suddenly an arrow pierced Godric's left arm and he dropped his sword and retreated from the enemy. As he approached his friends he snapped the head off the arrow and slowly pulled it from his arm, sending jolts of pain through him. He once again positioned himself between the skeletons and his friends. He drew his wand and started cursing the skeletons, blowing arms and legs away as he slowly blasted a hole in their ranks. But for everyone he killed three more pushed up and took its place. Godric looked around and saw Thomas behind the skeletons laughing at his predicament as his friends yelled at him from behind.

Godric felt helplessness start to grip at his heart. He didn't know any spells that were strong enough to take out all the skeletons. Another arrow soared through the air heading straight for Rowena. Godric watched in horror, too far away to do anything to stop it. Suddenly Salazar threw himself in front of the arrow and it hit him right in the stomach.

" _REDUCTO_!" Godric shot the archer, blasting it to pieces.

He shuffled over to where Rowena was nursing Salazar in her arms.

"Don't let those monsters get them Godric. I know you can do it." Salazar said as he passed out from shock.

Godric looked at his friend's body in shock as well as he glanced over at Helga. He had failed again. He looked up and locked eyes with Rowena.

"I believe in you Godric. You can do it." She said softly.

Godric felt a great swell in his heart as he remembered all the times he had spent with his friends and he refused to let it end like that. He turned back to the skeletons and pointed his wand at them. They all laughed at his feeble attempt to fend them off. Godric ignored the cold laughter and focused on his friends. He looked right at Thomas and smiled.

" _Expecto Patronum_." He said calmly as a huge ghostly lion roared from his wand landing between them and the skeletons and roared viciously at them.

The skeletons pulled back as the lion advanced on them and Thomas laughed at Godric's last effort. The lion leapt into the middle of the skeletons who immediately started slashing at it with their weapons which just passed right through it knocking one another's heads off left and right. Godric smiled at their terror. As he did the lion grew even bigger and started tearing the skeletons apart until they were nothing but piles of bones littering the ground of the clearing. Thomas looked at his army horrified before he turned tail and ran off. He cast one final spell over his shoulder as Godric's lion disappeared. A great green flash sped across the clearing headed for Rowena but Godric dived in front of it and remembered no more as he fell to the ground.

ϟ

He suddenly woke up covered from head to toe in sweat, breathing like he had just run around the lake. He glanced around the room unsure of where he was when he heard someone moan. He looked down at the bed and remembered instantly where he was when he saw Rowena there snuggling closer to him in her sleep. Godric smiled at her as she reached around him and pulled him closer again. Godric just lay there watching her sleep before kissing her gently on the lips.

"I think I found our secret weapon, Rowena." Rowena smiled in her sleep and held him tighter. Godric just smiled again. "Don't worry honey. I'm not going to let anything get you."

He just lay there watching her for ages before he closed his eyes again and drifted into a euphoric sleep.

ϟ

Rowena rolled over as she felt the sun's rays pressing against her face. She opened her eyes and she realised she was alone again.

"Godric? Where are you?" She asked as she climbed out of bed and walked around the room.

She looked on the floor and noticed that all his clothing was still there from the night before and wondered where he went to. She put on some fresh clothes and walked back to the Room of Requirement expecting that, being Godric, he was merely practising some more. When she arrived she saw the door was already present in the wall and opened it up screaming loudly as a gigantic silvery-white lion leapt through the door at her roaring.

It slowly disappeared as she watched revealing Godric standing in the Room of Requirement wearing just a pair of pants and smiling brightly at her.

"Good morning Rowena. What do you think?" He asked as he walked out the door and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"What in the world was that Godric?" She asked looking up at him.

"That is a little something that is going to help us stop Thomas. I had a dream about it last night and when I woke up this morning I had to try it out. It took me ages to get the lion to look like it did in my dream though. I call it a patronus. Isn't it cool?"

"Definitely." She smiled as she kissed him, loving the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. "Can you show me how to do it?"

"Sure." He said as he ushered her into the Room of Requirement.

Godric closed the door and moved into the middle of the room as Rowena followed him over.

"Take out your wand." He instructed as he brought up his own. "Now it's a fairly simple spell to cast and it gets stronger depending on how happy you are. What you need to do is think of a really happy memory, which I hope you can find at least one from your time here."

"Stop it Godric." Rowena chastised playfully as he started laughing.

"Ok. Think of a really happy memory, and then just wave your wand in front of you and say _Expecto Patronum_."

As soon as the words had left his mouth the lion roared to life from the end of his wand once more and started to stalk around the wall snapping at the targets on the walls making Rowena laugh at it.

Rowena thought back through her memory, looking for something extremely happy. She tried the one she had made the night before when Godric spent the night with her.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

A large burst of white mist fired out of the end of her wand hovering in front of Godric's lion causing the lion to turn its head as it looked at this strange new thing. Rowena frowned as she looked at her cloud and started to get depressed. Suddenly the cloud disappeared and she began to feel really bad. Godric walked over to her still smiling broadly as he took her into his arms once more. As if he knew she was feeling bad.

"It's ok Rowena. That's all that happens at first. It takes a lot of practice to get a fully formed shape like him." He said pointing at the lion which had begun circling the room looking all about as though it were searching for Rowena's missing patronus.

The pair started laughing as they watched his strange behaviour and Rowena saw how it became more distinct the happier Godric became.

"We just need to keep practising. Then you'll get it. I promise." He said as he kissed her again.

He stood behind her and held her tightly as she looked further back for a stronger happy memory. She remembered the day that Godric took her to meet the unicorns. She couldn't remember ever feeling as happy as she had been that day.

"Got one?" Godric whispered into her ear.

Rowena just nodded and waved her wand out in front of her again. " _Expecto Patronum_."

The cloud burst from her wand again but this time I seemed to move with some form of shape as it moved about the room getting fuller as Rowena smiled at her achievement in only a few minutes.

"See. Told you that it just takes practice. Especially for someone as incredible as you." He said as he gently nibbled on her neck making her laugh again.

Godric's lion walked right up to her and growled softly as her own patronus flew down and sat next to it.

"Why don't you try again? This time really focus hard on that memory." Godric said as he ran his fingers softly down her arm and gently gripped her wrist.

Rowena focused as hard as she could on that same memory again. " _Expecto Patronum_!"

This time a great silvery griffin burst from her wand and soared up to the enormous ceiling making Rowena gasp as she watched it.

Godric smiled at her. "See. And every time you practise it, it will get even clearer and more powerful."

Rowena watched her patronus in awe as it landed next to the lion and the two sized each other up. She smiled and spun around and kissed Godric deeply. They were so occupied they didn't notice when Binns opened the door until Godric's lion roared loudly scaring Binns who ran back out the door leaving it wide open and the pair just laughed.

ϟ

"Helga. Wake up." Rowena said as she shook her friend.

Helga groaned as she opened her eyes looking at her friend with every intention of cursing her for waking her. "What is it?" She moaned as she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"I was going to go for a walk and see the unicorns. I thought you might like to come too." She replied, smiling.

"And this couldn't wait why?" Helga grumbled as she got up and started changing her clothes.

"I dunno. I just felt like going now."

"You are so lucky I'm too tired or I'd curse you right now," Helga said as Rowena laughed at her.

They both wandered slowly through the halls as the sun crept a little higher over the hills in the distance, flooding the corridors with light. Helga yawned loudly as they walked across the dewy grass feeling the moisture slowly seeping into their clothing waking them further.

It didn't take them very long to reach the unicorn's glade and when they arrived they found the unicorns all sleeping softly, the children tucked up against their parents, slowly rising and falling with their parents breathing. Rowena walked over to them and gently stroked Wrentu's mane watching as the beautiful creature slowly opened her eyes and looked at Rowena. Helga joined her and soon the children had awakened as well and were trotting around the glade showing off to their friends.

"Hey, Helga." Rowena prompted nudging her friend softly. "Wanna see something cool?"

Helga merely nodded as Rowena smiled widely, pulling her wand from her pocket. She focused for a minute before whispering. " _Expecto Patronum_."

The griffin burst forth once more, even more distinctly than last time and soared up into the air before gliding back down and prancing about with the amused foals Helga sat upright and just stared speechlessly at the silvery beast running about the glade.

"What is that?" She finally managed as the griffin walked towards the girls.

"It's a patronus. Godric showed me how to do it. Isn't it beautiful?" Rowena stated as he reached out and ran her hand along the outside of the spell.

"Can you teach me how to do it?" Helga buzzed, now fully awake as she watched the creature dance about the glade once more.

"I guess I could, but I think I should let Godric teach you, he is way better at it than I am. His is fully corporeal." She replied.

"What on earth is corporeal?" Helga questioned finally tearing her gaze from the patronus.

"It means you can reach out and touch it like a real animal. You can actually pat his."

"Pat his what?" Godric asked as he walked up behind the girls scaring them as Rowena's patronus vanished.

"Don't scare me like that," Rowena said as she hit him playfully as he pulled her into his arms.

"But it's just so much fun." He teased as Helga just rolled her eyes at the pair.

"You two are pathetic." She muttered as he got up off the ground. "So Godric, Rowena tells me you can teach me this patronus thing."

Godric looked at Rowena as though they had agreed not to tell anyone. "Yes, I suppose I could." He replied. "But it won't be perfect, to begin with. It'll take you a while to get the hang of it."

"Oh, Godric." Rowena scaled as she hit him again. "Just show her."

The girls laughed as Godric pulled back acting hurt.

"No fair, no ganging up." He said smiling. "Ok, has Rowena shown you hers?"

"Yes. It's amazing. How do I do it?"

"It's really simple to do, but complex to master. Just grab your wand. Think of a really happy memory, and wave your wand and say _Expecto Patronum_." He said as his lion burst out and landed squarely in the middle of the glade startling the unicorns who gathered together facing this new creature.

"Wow," Helga said as the lion stalked towards her. She stretched out her hand as it came closer and felt its hair run softly through her fingers warming her spirit much like phoenix song did. "It's incredible." She whispered.

"Hey, Helga," Godric called drawing her attention from the patronus. "You gonna give it a try?" He asked as he and Rowena watched her giggling.

Helga just poked out her tongue before drawing her wand and thinking back searching for the happiest memory she had. She just stood there for ages thinking hard sifting through her memories one by one until she came across the perfect one. She fixes her mind on the day that Godric and she had saved Galfur from the wolf and she opened her eyes to see Godric and Rowena still staring at her.

" _Expecto Patronum_." She said as she waved her wand in front of her drawing a small cloud of silvery dust in the air in front of her.

"Well done," Godric said as the cloud started to dissipate. "With practice, it will get more and more distinct each time until you can touch it like mine."

Helga felt a little better at Godric's reassurance and the cloud grew denser again. She lowered her wand and the cloud dissipated completely as she smiled at her friends who were kissing again.

"Oh, you two really are pathetic." She said as she turned away and tried the spell again.

ϟ

It was nearly nightfall by the time Helga had produced a recognisable patronus. It was in the form of a unicorn and the foals were delighting in playing with it as they pranced all over the glade as the trio watched happily.

"You know we should really head back up to the castle. I don't think it's a very good idea to stay out too late at the moment." Rowena said as Helga ended the spell and the trio laughed as the unicorns tried to work out where it had gone.

"Ok. Let's go." Godric said as he helped the girls up.

The trio traipsed back through the forest chatting quietly until they reached the edge of the forest. They looked up at the castle in the distance and noticed several bright flashes coming from Max's office.

"Oh no," Godric whispers as a dark thought settled into his mind. "Grab my hands." He orders the girls as Pyre flew up behind him and grabbed his shirt lifting them into the air before disappearing in his usual bright flash.

The trio touched down in Max's office as Salazar was disarmed, his wand flying past Godric's head as he ducked to the side. Max looked furious and was brandishing his wand at Salazar menacingly, but hesitated as the others approached. Without warning, Max moved to curse Helga and Godric drew his wand.

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" He yelled as his lion leapt forth.

The lion knocked Max to the floor, flinging his wand across the room as he cowered away from the roaring beast.

"Helga, go and get Binns, now," Godric instructed as he advanced on Max keeping him pinned with his patronus, a roaring fire burning in his eyes.

Helga quickly ducked out the door and ran down the hall hoping that Binns was in his office and that he could help them. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going and ran headlong into someone knocking herself to the floor and winding herself.

"Now, now Helga, you need to be more careful," Binns said as he picked her up off the floor.

"Professor," Helga whispered as she tried to breathe. "We need your help, in my dad's office." She managed as she glanced up at Binns.

ϟ

Binns rushed into the room with his wand drawn but stopped short at the scene in front of him. Salazar and Rowena were standing behind Godric looking fearfully at Max as Godric glanced at Binns before stepping back allowing the mighty lion to step back from Max.

" _Incarcerous_." Binns breathed, pointing his wand at Max as he skirted the lion which growled softly as he passed and knelt next to Max.

He looked at Max trying to find what had happened to his friend as Max struggled against the ropes binding him to the chair.

"Let me go!" He roared, but he quickly cowered back as Godric's patronus roared fiercely advancing on him slightly.

Max cowered in his seat staring unblinkingly at the lion when Binns looked at his eyes and saw they were clouded over. He pointed his wand at Max and muttered something under his breath and a soft orange glow covered Max and then disappeared just as quickly.

"How do you feel?" He asked as he looked.

Max said nothing as his gaze darted about the room taking everything in as though he had been asleep through the whole thing. His eyes widened as he noticed the patronus and he looked about fearfully when he realised his arms were tied.

"What's going on?" He asked looking from one person to the next searching for the answer. "And what is that?"

Godric lowered his wand and the lion slowly dissipated as a breeze blew in from the window causing the lion to blow gently away as it vanished. Max glanced about fearfully as they all looked back at him strangely.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Max asked still glancing from one person to the next. "And what the hell was that thing?"

"We walked in just before and you were about to attack Salazar. You looked like you had gone crazy." Helga said as she took a step towards her father looking concerned.

"Why would I attack him? I may not like that he is here but for some reason, Godric seems to trust him, and I trust Godric enough to know he wouldn't be here if he didn't have good reason to believe him." Max replied as Binns released him from the bindings.

"Then what just happened?" Godric asked, still keeping a firm grip on his wand.

"I don't know. I remember Salazar walking into my office to speak with me, and then I woke up here, tied up." Max replied. "But I remember feeling extremely angry at Salazar the moment I saw him. It was like I was possessed or something."

Binns watched Max closely as he recited his story, trying to find any sign that he was lying. "Maybe Max really was possessed. We know that Thomas has found some really powerful dark magic. And the Max we know would never have attacked Salazar. Not without being provoked first. Was there anything else you can remember?"

Max looked as though he was thinking very hard before responding. "Actually I started to feel a little strange before Salazar came in. I was reading over some of the scrolls he brought."

Binns walked over to the desk and quickly scanned the top scroll. "Ah, I thought as much. This scroll is about controlling the minds of others to do your bidding. Reading it must have opened your mind to Thomas, who exploited it to get at us."

The children looked relieved at this news and Godric finally put away his wand.

"Now I have answered your questions," Max stated, "so can someone please tell me what on earth that thing was?"

Godric smiled. "It's a spell I learned the other day. I call it a patronus. Comes in very handy."

"You mean that you invented that spell?" Max asked in disbelief.

"Well I had a dream about it and then I practised it until I got it to work the same way it did in the dream," Godric replied.

Max and Binns looked at each other understanding what this meant. "Well, I guess I'm just glad you are on our side," Max said finally, breaking the silence that had developed in the room. "And thank you all for helping me out here." Max smiled.

"Anytime," Godric said as he turned and left the room. The others followed, helping Salazar out the door.

"Did you know about this new spell?" Max asked Binns once the others had gone.

"I have seen it once but I didn't know he had invented it. Seems he may be further along than we thought." Binns replied looking a little worried.

"Maybe," Max said as he turned and looked out the window thoughtfully. "Maybe they can actually win this."


	19. The War

_Chapter 19 – The War_

* * *

The wind whispered softly through his short black hair as he gazed into the sky. The very same wind that had caught gently underneath the outstretched wings of a group of gulls soaring amongst the wispy clouds set against the brilliant blue sky. A smile crept across his face as he watched the tips of their feathers ruffle as the air rushed past them.

The gulls danced around each other in a playful manner as the passed across the sun. Their calls drifted to his ears as they continued their dance moving in and out, up and over. The smile working over his face vanished suddenly as the gulls split apart to avoid the gleaming tips of the arrows passing them by and falling on the ranks gathered around him.

John brought his gaze once more to the advancing ranks of the Celts as the arrows fell amongst his troops. A wave of restlessness swept over the figures gathered about him as the King took a deep breath to prepare himself for battle. _Into the forge once more_ , he thought, shifting his grip on the reins of his horse.

"Steady men. Hold your nerve." He yelled across the organised lines as he noticed them beginning to shift, whether by fear or restlessness he was unsure. "We have weathered their assaults so far and we shall do so again."

"Our lines won't break milord, they are ready to die for our cause." Came a voice to John's right.

He turned to look at the face of his trusted friend. "I just wish that there had been an alternative Michael. This ground has already been tainted with more than enough blood."

John's horse shifted once more as the enemy lines continued to approach. John was very happy with their position on this hillock, there had been almost no preparations required to make it defensible. Any approach to their position was noticeable miles before they came into range with their archers, which was just as well, for the moment that the advancing army came into range they would unleash volley after volley of arrows into their ranks. It was so commonplace that the soldiers in the front lines would merely kneel and raise their shields above their heads as they were doing in front of his eyes as the arrows landed with dull thuds into the moist ground at their feet.

John was sure that several of them were even laughing and chatting among themselves as the arrows continued to fall. The smile crept back onto his face at this, and his thoughts drifted once more, not to the sky but to two castles many miles away, ones which safely harbour the two he cared for most, and how long it would be before he could return to them.

"Sire! Celts approach from the shoreline." Michael yelled from beside him and John turned to survey the western flank.

Indeed there were almost a thousand Celts heavily disguised creeping over the sandy beaches trying to take their flank unaware while the arrows distracted the men. The lines of troops suddenly quivered as the news of the surprise attack that would befall them in moments spread like wildfire. There were faces glancing all around in fear, while others beside them just repositioned with a steely resolve in their eyes. The Celts appeared to be finally learning. John nodded to Michael without taking his eyes from the advancing troops.

"Reform the ranks! An attack on the western flank. Prepare for battle men!" Michael yelled as he urged his horse around the lines and settled before the hundreds of men that would take the brunt of this attack.

The approaching Celts sped up on both fronts now, casting off all pretence now their plan had been discovered. Unearthly battle cries buffeted the ears of the men standing in wait. John felt for every one of them, he knew they wanted nothing more than to return home to their families. No-one liked the horrible feeling now settled deep in the pit of their stomach, it churned and twisted and constricted your gut until you feel like you are going to vomit all over the place. The feeling of a battle was bad, but this was not it, this was the feeling of waiting patiently for a battle that you could not avoid.

John steeled himself as he once more turned to gaze on the advancing lines, they were truly a fearsome sight to behold. Faces of anger twisted into hatred and covered in dark war paints in gruesome patterns. Powerful arms brandishing wide axes and jagged swords, designed purely to rip as much flesh as possible from their enemies. Loose furs were wrapped around their shoulders and midriff in some horrible perversion of armour. And the worst part of all, the helmets of the generals. Painted with blood in horrid designs, broken and bent in unnatural ways though they were, there was no mistaking them. Their helmets were made from human skulls.

Gritting his teeth and drawing his sword, John shifted his grip on the reins once again as the Celts came within range of his own archers.

"Ready men!" He ordered as the archers raised their weapons behind him.

There wasn't a twitch in any of their fingers. John and his generals had handpicked every single one of his archers, they were the very best you could find in this part of the world. Their eyes were locked on their prey while every other sense was tuned intimately to the world dancing around them. The whisper of the wind brushing against their hair as they turned to compensate for it. The echo of the war cries reaching their ears distorted due to fluctuations in the ground. Every fibre of their being was focused here and now, on a single target.

John brought his sword high into the air, drawing a battle cry from all the troops gathered behind him. Swords were clanged and spears rattled as they roared there defiance back across the plains at those who wished to take what wasn't theirs. A simple movement of his arm and the sword came down followed immediately by the sound of hundreds of feathers striking the long wooden handles of their bows as they were unleashed upon the world. Free to soar for an eternity in bliss before falling down and tearing themselves into the advancing troops.

Hundreds fell as the arrows belted their lines, every one striking its target with deadly accuracy. Many tripped on the bodies of their fallen friends as more began to fall about them. What had been a solid wall of advancing terror slowly unravelled as gaps broke forth in their lines, slowly becoming gaping holes as more and more men fell.

The quiver of restlessness had escalated behind John. Troops were moving behind him anxious to meet their foe head-on. But they waited. None of them would move without the order. They watched their king with rapped attention, some holding their breath as they knew it would come soon.

The roar was even greater than before as hundreds of men shot forward of their mark as one advancing rapidly as a single line upon the enemy. Hundreds of spears tips gleamed in the sunlight as the advanced just ahead of the line, poking out from behind shields as John urged his horse forward charging the advancing enemy line. Closer and closer they came, both sides a cacophony of sound as the two lines collided breaking against each other like waves on a cliff. Neither side giving way as the spears of both sides crashed fiercely into the other. Bodies were squashed between the now dead bodies at the front of the lines and the shields of those still pushing forward in spite of the losses.

If it was a horrible sight to stand back and watch, then it had to be hell itself to be standing amongst the fighting. Men screamed horribly as they were cut down and cast aside. Half-dead bodies were scattered everywhere and were being trampled as both sides continued to wash against each other in a sea of red. The once green grass underfoot was now trampled and drenched in the blood of the fallen. Cries of battle rent the air as they mingled amongst screams of pain and terror as more and more bodies lay writhing on the ground amongst the dead.

Utter chaos ruled as sword met shield in their beautiful yet violent dance. Spears cut their way through air and flesh as arrows crisscrossed the sky, light flickering down on the heads of the soldiers as they passed in front of the sun. The air filled with the whistling of axe blades swinging through the air on wild trajectories, cleaving long bloody gashes through flesh and armour alike with the horrid squeal of metal on metal. Bone gave way like butter to the viciously sharp edges lining the bright metal surfaces flying hither and thither flinging long fluid strips of blood into the air.

John carved a great gash into the enemy which left an easy line for his troops to follow into the core of the Celts. His sword flashed back and forth in his right hand while the spear in his left slew all who came near his horse. The silver armour strapped over the gleaming white coat of his mighty steed deflected all those foolish enough to get into its path. Armour that had been highly polished going into the battle was quickly becoming clogged with dirt and debris making it harder to strike with every blow.

He continued to plough forward ignorant of his surroundings due to the small slits in his helmet. His own breath pressed back in on him as he panted hard, as the sweat poured from his brow into his eyes, further restricting his view. Even the terrible sounds of battle were dimmed by the heavy steel. But none of this could discourage John from his goal. He had to drive this menace back into their own lands, only then would he be able to return to his family. Only then would they be safe.

But many of the Celts he was aiming for were now ducking his blows as they back towards the hillside where they began their attack. John pulled up his horse to watch as hundreds of Celts just turned and ran from his troops advancing lines.

"Milord, they appear to be in full retreat. Shall we chase them down and end this battle?" Said Michael eagerly from his side.

"No," John replied still watching the Celts as they seemed to form at the base of the hillside again. "Reform the ranks, this isn't over yet."

As he finished this sentence almost a thousand Celts came roaring over the crest of the hillside and their enemy tore down on them once more like some evil bloodthirsty beasts.

"RETREAT!" Screamed one of the men behind them.

There was argument or mention of desertion, every single man turned almost as one and ran full tilt away from the approaching Celts. John saw nothing but the chaos of their retreat as he spun his horse and urged her to follow them.

ϟ

Millions of tiny flakes of ice slowly drifted out of the heavy grey sky littering the ground. Several inches were already caked on the battlements, settled into the grooves between the stonework of the castle. The once green field was now completely white. The pristine layers of snow stretched as far as the eyes could see and had even drifted between the trunks of the huge trees lining the edge of the forest, which stood stoically accepting the cold. Nothing broke the tranquil beauty of the scene, except the occasional ball of packed snow flying past.

Max grinned as he watched the foursome dart back and forth over the icy ground casting ball after ball at each other. Some even found their way in his direction as he watched from the gateway. Max loved these moments. They showed that they were all still children, even after all that they had gone through. But the change in Godric was the most pronounced. In fact, this was one of the first times that Max had seen him smile since their return from captivity, and the change it wrought in his entire demeanour was incredible. His joy seemed to radiate into those around him.

He watched on as several of the unicorns danced out from the forest to join them. So brilliantly white were their coats that they made the bright snow look dirty and dull. But the foals stood out, even more, their golden coats gleaming despite the lack of direct sunlight. Helga summoned her Patronus to join them and it pranced lightly over the snow, not leaving a single trace of its passing on the soft snow as it moved. It too gleamed as the snowflakes passed straight through its body, some melting as they did so.

Max jumped slightly as a lion leapt forth from Godric's wand roaring fiercely as ever as it began to run circles around the group, it even left the slightest shadow of a footprint with every step and the snow slowly gathered amongst its fur as it moved. And it was soon joined, as always, by a griffin that danced softly beside it. Rowena and Godric whispered to each other as they cast shields to protect themselves from Salazar's continual onslaught.

With a broad grin, Godric quickly conjured about a hundred snowballs and climbed onto the back of his Patronus while Rowena mounted her own. They lunged at Helga and Salazar as the other two ducked for cover behind some rocks.

"Hey, no fair. We can't cast corporeal Patronuses yet. _Impedimenta_." Yelled Salazar as he struck a dozen snowballs dead in midair. "You're cheating!"

Helga flicked her wand and her Patronus charged at Godric as she twirled on the spot and vanished. " _Expelliarmus_!"

Helga beamed as she reappeared right behind Godric and Rowena and deftly caught their flying wands. They fell in a heap on the ground as their Patronuses vanished from under them and the snowballs dropped on top of them. Everyone began roaring with laughter, and it could even be heard emanating from the big pile of snow that was now all that you could see of Godric and Rowena.

The pile of snow dropped suddenly and Godric grabbed Helga from behind as he reappeared spinning her around as all three wands fell from her grip as they fell over spread across the ground. The laughing got, if it was possible, even louder as Salazar strutted over and plonked himself beside the others.

"Max? Honey?" Alexandria said as she walked up behind him.

"What is it, Alex?" Max asked finally tearing his eyes from the others now making snow angels while the unicorns dashed off to the forest.

"It's a letter, from the King." She replied looking rather worried.

Max slipped the parchment from her fingers and unrolled it and read through it quickly. His face fell further the more his eyes drifted down the parchment. Things must have been going very badly for the king, he was calling for all under his rule to send as many able-bodied men to join the battle. Never had he called on the people to fight before, his soldiers had always been enough.

"What's wrong daddy?"

Max whipped his head up as he noticed the kids were standing right in front of him.

"You look worried." Helga continued.

"It's nothing. Just a letter from the king." He replied as he made to put it in his pocket.

"From father? Can I see it please?" Asked Rowena stepping forward.

Ma stopped as he considered her. Was it fair to put this news upon them, after everything they had been through? He looked up at Salazar and Godric and saw from their faces they weren't going to let him go until he caved.

"Alright," He started handing Rowena the letter. "But it's not good news."

A tear caught in Rowena's eye as she read down the letter, and Helga wrapped her arms around her. Godric and Salazar's faces gave nothing away as they read the letter over Rowena's shoulder. But Max didn't have to wait long to find what they were thinking.

"Did Thomas get one of these letters too?" Godric asked looking Max straight in the eye.

"I am not sure, but I believe so." He replied looking down.

"Then it's settled, I'm going," Godric stated.

"Going? Going where?" Max queried, but he was already certain of the answer.

"After Thomas."

"Godric, I know you want revenge for what he did to your parents and the three of you, but this is not the time. That is a war you are marching off to." Max pleaded.

"I don't care about that right now. I want revenge but I'm not stupid. Like you said that's a war he is marching to, a gathering place of dead bodies for anyone skilled in Necromancy to plunder. Thomas is going to march after the King swelling his ranks and then crush the king while he is weak. I wouldn't be surprised if he set this whole war up for this very reason."

Everyone stopped as Godric finished, obviously they were thinking the same thing Max had. But Godric was right. If Thomas was allowed to march to battle his army would grow more and more with every battlefield he visited. It wouldn't be long before he would be invincible.

"So when do we leave?" Asked Salazar.

"No," Max stated as Godric went to speak. "I will not let you go. It's too dangerous. I know the danger Thomas poses but if you march after him you'll all be killed. It's a suicide mission. One I will not stand by and let you undertake."

"But..." Godric began as Max cut him off again.

"That's final Godric. I don't want to hear another word about it." And with that Max turned on his heel and walked quickly inside.

ϟ

The parchment crumpled as Thomas clenched his fist about it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. All his planning would now pay off. He tightened his grip on the reins clutched in his other hand. Urging his horse forward as his troops stretched out behind him, marching steadily forward, moving as one, driven purely by Thomas' malice.

Every figure in the lines wore heavy black cloaks under the layers of armour, hiding their true nature from any passersby. The occasional scabbed or skeletal hand was visible sticking from the end of the sleeves. Scarves pulled up and tucked beneath hideously shaped helmets concealed the dead or missing eyes as the group marched forward with a deafening clank as they moved, clashing in unison.

Not once had the army stopped to camp on their march, not that these troops needed to rest, or eat for that matter. However, it was more due to the fact that no town would tolerate the presence of the army, for even though they could not see what was hidden beneath the heavy cloaks, the army had an air of death and despair about it. It was as if a chill air was spreading from the centre of the ranks and moving steadily outward from their mass.

Thomas grinned maliciously at the thought of his armies very presence striking fear into those they followed. He only hoped that the Celts didn't finish the king before he could arrive, that pleasure he wanted for himself.

ϟ

The screams coming from outside were demoralising enough, but to look upon the wounded was even more terrible than anyone could imagine. John had fought many battles since he became king, but none could compare with the disaster this one had become. The Celts were vicious fighters but fought smart. Instead of killing all they came across they would deeply wound them making it impossible for them to continue fighting, but this tactic was exploiting the camaraderie of his own troops as they refused to leave their friends to the mercy of these madmen.

Those who chose to help often ended up slaughtered as they tried to help their friends, and John could feel the will leaving the men as wave after wave of murderous enemies broke upon them, forcing them to retreat well back from the shoreline. And to make matters worse the onset of winter had brought with it a terrible cold, which made it even harder to care for the injured and dying. There was almost nowhere in the camp where the snow remained white and untainted by the blood of the wounded.

John felt horrible as he watched the doctors rushing between the tents, some even tending the dying outside in the cold, because they were steadily running out of places to keep them. They had even constructed a makeshift cemetery off to the side of the camp, to at least give them some dignity in death. John felt someone walk up beside him and they stood there for several minutes watching the activity outside.

"Milord, they are ready," Michael said as he turned and walked back into the tent.

John stood there for a moment longer before he too returned inside. All his generals were gathered around the table inside, even they had taken a battering in the weeks they had been here. What was supposed to be a quick and simple routing of the enemy advance had turned into a standoff. Neither side could afford to back down now, but John had a feeling that if things continued at this rate, they would either be forced to flee or die at the hands of the enemy.

"Milord, we have sent out envoys to the country as you requested, and have already received responses from twelve counties. They are sending all the troops they can muster at short notice straight away, and will march with the rest as they become available." Said Arthur from across the table. "We do not have a set number yet but we are hoping these will be enough to rout the enemy assault."

"My lord this is madness. We must retreat further. We have more wounded than healthy soldiers, and even they are barely alive with this horrible weather. I don't believe that they can take much more." Injected Kevin from John's right.

"How can you even consider retreat?" Demanded Arthur. "We cannot back down from these barbarians. We must force them back, and make sure they never try to take our lands again."

"The men are broken. Those that can still fight have lost the desire. Watching their friends cut down like animals, suffering this unbearable cold. How much more must they be forced to endure."

"Enough," John yelled as Arthur made to reply. "You both have valid arguments, however arguing between ourselves will get us nowhere."

John surveyed the piles of maps and war plans they had laid out across the table in a vain attempt to make the situation look a little brighter. Half showed them routing the enemy forces and cutting off their retreat in an attempt to destroy their enemy, but most showed the more likely end, where the Celts swept in and wiped them out. John knew the only option they had left to them lay in the number of reinforcements that were now marching their way.

"Without substantial reinforcements, I am afraid I have to agree with Kevin. There is no hope for victory with the small forces we have remaining here. If not enough come then we will be forced to retreat." Michael stated quietly.

John just nodded quietly taking all of this in. Retreat was the last option he hoped to use. However, he would not send his men to their deaths for a lost cause either. Michael was right, without a sizeable amount of reinforcements they were doomed to fail.

"Milord." A runner entered the tent and bowed. "I have news of a large force approaching from the east. They bear the banner of Lord Gryffindor and are approximately two weeks march away."

"Thank you," John said as the runner bowed and left the tent once more. "Hopefully he brings enough troops to save this battle."

ϟ

Godric was sweating profusely as he stood panting. There were bruises all over his chest and arms, but he still refused to give in. "Again." He said as he shifted back into a ready position and waited for movement. The cloaked figures around him raised their weapons again and stood ready. A flicker to his left caught Godric's eye as he spun about to block the attack as something hit him heavily from behind.

Godric fell to the hard stone floor gasping for breath. That last blow had winded him. He got slowly to his feet and turned to face the stoic figures once more. "Again." He forced through clenched teeth. As one they struck at him forcing him to duck and twist between three of them. Now he was outside their circle he focused his attention forward. Two of them came at him swords raised as Godric struck forward piercing one through the chest and twisting to the right to avoid the other. Unfortunately, a club caught the side of his wrist breaking his grip on his sword.

Godric rolled back and jumped back to the left as a sword passed right where his feet had just been. He climbed quickly up the back of a particularly large figure and jumped off him twisting through the air and landing right in front of the one he had stabbed. Godric pulled the sword from its midsection and parried three blows from his right as he leapt back to his left to get away from this new onslaught. Anger burned through him as he charged forward slicing and battering the three remaining figures back against the wall where he severed two of their heads and buried the blade deep into the third one's chest.

There came a slow clap from behind him and Godric turned to see Rowena walking towards him.

"Very nice. Do they always hit you as much as that?" She waved her wand and the severed wooden heads and limbs returned to the cloaked dummies as they zoomed back towards the wall.

"No. I was just distracted." Godric retorted. "Usually I have to repair them several times before they hit me. And for your information, I have been here for six straight hours. I'm a little tired."

Rowena giggled as he grabbed her around the waist. "Unless you have a miracle cure for that too?"

Rowena smiled as she let him wrap her up in his arms. He spent almost all of his time locked up in the Room of Requirement lately, and she had missed being held like this. Ever since the letter had arrived Godric had been obsessed with practising.

"Rowena. You know that I love you don't you." He whispered into her ear.

"Of course I do. Why?" She asked suddenly suspicious.

"Because I need you to do something."

"Oh really? And what might that be?"

"I need you to stay here."

"What?" She asked spinning about to look at him.

"I need you to stay here. I'm going after Thomas, and I need to know you are safe."

"If you think I'm going to let you go and face that maniac alone then you must have taken a fair hit to the head. If you're going I'm coming with you."

"I didn't get hit in the head. I know you want to come but I can't let you. It's too dangerous."

Rowena slapped Godric hard across the face causing him to stumble backward.

"How dare you! I am not a little doll that needs to be wrapped up in blankets for her own safety. I can handle myself Godric as you well know." The look in her eyes was almost scary as she glared at him.

"I know that Rowena but I can't put you in that kind of danger. I just can't." He pleaded trying to make her see reason.

"You can't _let_ me? I am not at your command Godric. I can do as I choose."

"Please, Rowena. I couldn't stand it if I lost you."

"Fine, I'll make you a deal. Fight me." Godric looked stunned.

"What?"

"I swear sometimes you aren't very bright. I'm," she began pointing to herself, "challenging you," she continued pointing at him, "to a duel." She finished waving her hands as though clutching a sword. "If you win, I'll stay here. If I win then you take me with you."

"You can't be serious?" Godric stuttered.

"I'm completely serious." She replied sternly. "You want to go, you have to go through me." Rowena shifted her position so she was directly between Godric and the open doorway.

"But," Godric began as he cast his gaze about the room as though looking for something that would help him out of this awkward situation. However, the room yielded no such help as Godric's mind weighed up the alternatives, which all came to the same result. "Ok." He acquiesced quietly.

"What was that?" Rowena grinned.

"I said ok." Godric griped as he stared at his shoes.

"Good," Rowena smiled, "Just Let me get changed into something more suitable and we can begin."

She spun on her foot and disappeared out the door as Godric dropped to the floor dejectedly and waited for her to return. It didn't take Rowena long to change, she was back before Godric could come up with some way of changing her mind.

"Ready?" She chimed as she entered once more, now decked out in a tight hunting outfit. Godric just groaned as he stood again and walked over to his stuff. "So how shall we do this? First blood? Or until one of us is defeated?"

"Defeated. I don't like the idea of having to cut you up." Godric confessed as he moved back into the centre of the room sword drawn. "Are you sure about this Rowena?"

"Completely," she cooed as she danced lightly to face him drawing her sword as swishing it erratically.

Godric smiled a little as he shifted into his duelling pose, legs slightly apart, arms raised above his head with the blade pointing back behind him. Rowena raised herself up bringing her sword up dead straight in front of her and spread her feet in a more defensive manner. Their eyes locked and they both stood completely still, the only movement in the room was the soft rising and falling of their chests as they breathed slowly, readying themselves. A silent tension built in the room until the air crackled softly with it.

With a sudden deft move, Godric brought his sword down as Rowena twisted to her right, parried the strike shifting her weight to her left foot as she brought her sword about, and took a broad stroke at Godric's shoulder. He just brought his blade into position to parry as she shifted her strike to swipe across his stomach. Taken off guard Godric flipped back to avoid the strike and resumed his ready pose as Rowena softly approached once more ready to strike. Once more, the soft puffs of their breath were the only sound in the room as they stood to face each other.

Rowena darted forward as quick as lighting, thrusting her weapon toward Godric once more as he was forced to swipe her attack to the left. He leapt again clearing Rowena and bringing his blade to bear at her heels, which it grazed as Rowena jumped the strike and brought her own blade down upon his.

"You've been practising." Godric breathed as he urged his blade upwards knocking Rowena to the side as he stepped back to regain his footing once more.

"Every day since Salazar showed up." Rowena smiled as she resumed her ready pose once more. "I had a feeling that you were going to go running off sometime and I wasn't going to let you leave me here."

"How have you found the time?" Godric asked, shifting to match Rowena's more defensive pose. "And who has been training you?"

"You have." She remarked as she dashed forward swiping her sword around behind her body and striking across Godric smacking his blade aside and knocking him back to the floor.

Rowena smiled as she saw the look on Godric's face as he climbed back to his feet. "I have? When?"

"You remember how I used to sit and watch you train, well I was watching you for pointers. Then when you _finally_ left the room I would practise myself. Though I have only gone against two of the dummies at once."

Godric grinned at the thought of what she had done. "Very nice. But I'm not sure that it will be enough."

Godric advanced slowly twirling his sword quickly with his right hand before twisting tightly to bring an attack at Rowena from his right which she easily parried up before striking once more at his exposed abdomen. Godric flicked himself quickly aside then brought his sword up and entwined it with Rowena's locking them together as he leaned toward her.

"But I must say I'm impressed." He complimented stealing a quick kiss before releasing the lock and jumping back.

Rowena just glared at him in a half-angry half-happy manner. "Well, I'm glad you are." She chided as she charged forward again.

Godric stepped back as her blade flashed up in front of him then quickly changed into a sidewards stroke. He twisted his blade to collect hers but it had already shifted again to a forward lunge. Godric ducked backwards and swished his sword across in front of his body knocking Rowena's attack aside. Godric thought quickly as she advanced once more. She was striking at him so quickly now he could do nothing but parry her attacks. She was very good. He had no idea she had been practising like this. And if things continued at this rate he would find himself defeated. So he did the only thing he could think of. He jumped backwards soaring through the air to land behind the inanimate dummies by the wall.

"What's the matter Godric?" Rowena laughed as she advanced on him. "You're not tired already are you?"

"No just considering tactics," Godric explained as he rolled forward.

He flicked himself up swinging his sword at Rowena's shoulder but as she went to parry the blow he shifted his angle and the broadside of the blade struck the back of Rowena's hand causing her to release the sword. Godric shifted his angle again to catch the weapon under the hilt and flicked it into the air where he jumped once more and caught it in his spare hand.

"Like that." He said plainly as he landed in front of Rowena.

Her stunned expression was quickly replaced by sadness as she realised that it was over. She had lost.

"You'll need to pack quickly. I want to leave before sundown." Godric said as he walked forward, giving Rowena her sword back.

"But I lost, what about the deal?" She questioned unsure of what had just happened.

"To hell with the deal. You have been practising for ages and you are really good too. I just got a lucky shot that is all. Besides, I'll feel much better knowing that you're by my side than worrying if you are ok back here." He finished as he wrapped his arms around Rowena once more.

"You really mean it?" She asked as a tear welled slowly in her eye.

"Of course. You have every reason to go after Thomas as well. And let's face it, even if I tell you to stay here you're just going to come after me anyway."

They both laughed loudly for several minutes before either one moved again.

"We need to get going though. It will take you a while to pack."

"Are you kidding me?" Rowena asked incredulously. "I've had a bag packed for weeks now. I have been waiting for you to realise you wanted to leave."

And they both laughed again as they walked out and headed for their rooms. It didn't take Godric long to gather up his things, as Rowena had pointed out every seemed to realise it was only a matter of time before he went after Thomas, even he must have known deep down because everything he needed was already out and sorted ready to go, he had been slowly gathering everything together without even realising it. He rushed down to the stables catching up to Rowena at the back gate.

"You ready?" He asked as he approached.

"Of course we are," Helga replied. Godric merely stood there watching her as she mounted her horse and turned to face him. "You didn't seriously think you could sneak out of here without me noticing did you?" She laughed.

Godric stood transfixed until someone slapped him sharply on the back. "What took you so long? We have been waiting here for hours." Salazar said as he too mounted his horse.

"Damn it, Salazar. It was more impressive making him think we got here just in time." Helga chastised as Rowena walked into the stables.

"Hey, guys." She said as she set about preparing her own horse.

"You guys aren't coming," Godric said finally snapping back to reality.

"Oh really," Helga replied sternly. "And what exactly are we doing? Going for a nice nighttime ride for no reason. Because we certainly aren't waiting here while you rush off to face Thomas."

"Godric do you really think you can win this fight?" Salazar asked. "She is the only person I know who is even more stubborn than you."

The others giggled as Godric went red, he looked ready to explode. Helga cut across him as he went to yell. "Look, we are coming whether you like it or not Godric, so unless you want to sit here and wait for my father to catch us trying to leave, I suggest you get on Dracari so we can get out of here. Agreed?"

Godric mumbled under his breath as he headed off to saddle up Dracari and returned a moment later astride him.

"Fine then let's get going. Everyone ready?" He asked still slightly red in the face.

"Been waiting for you." Teased Salazar.

Godric just glared at them as he urged Dracari between them and out into the chill night air.


	20. The Race

_Chapter 20 – The Race_

* * *

Sleep. That most wondrous of states where the world melts away to be replaced by our deepest thoughts and desires. And sometimes our worst fears. That very state that had so often eluded Max in recent months. More often than not he would simply lay in bed and watch the roof as millions of thoughts played about his troubled mind. That was not, however, the state that Arthur found him in this morning. He was quite soundly asleep snoring slightly. So deeply asleep that it took Arthur five whole minutes to wake him properly so that he could pass on his news.

"They're what?" Max demanded, now firmly awake.

"Gone, sir. Left late last night is my guess."

Max's head swirled with horrible thoughts of them all lying dead by the roadside, attacked as they slept. "Well do you know where they went?"

"Yes, sir," Arthur replied sheepishly.

"Well." Max thundered growing impatient with this skirting the issue.

"They appear to have gone east, sir. Toward the king." Arthur finished.

Max's mind churned through all this information as Alexandria stirred beside him. All those years of keeping the children protected under his wing may all come undone in a single night. And he couldn't imagine what the king would do if he found out that Max had let Rowena into such a dangerous situation. All manner of horrible images swam before his eyes as he rested his head in his hands.

"What is wrong dear?" Alexandria asked sleepily as she gently rubbed her husband's back.

"I have to..." Max trailed off.

"Have to what? What is wrong?" She asked again more firmly this time.

"The children have gone to the war. And I have to follow them. All this time hiding them away so that no harm could come to them and in the end, the decision was never mine to make. I love you Alexandria. And I will make sure our little girl comes home to you safe and sound." Max kissed Alexandria softly on the lips then raised from the bed and left the room silently.

Alexandria just sat in bed softly sobbing at the thought that she may never again see her family. She watched from the windows as all the villagers that had gathered at Max's orders rode behind him as he charged off after the children, hoping he could get there before any harm could befall them.

"Good luck my love. Bring them home safely. And bring yourself home too."

ϟ

The horses thundered onward leaving a long billowing cloud of dust in their wake. They had been riding at full speed for nearly six days stopping only to eat a small bite and rest the horses. And even these small breaks seemed to carry on forever. Godric chose to pass the time by laying a bunch of not-so-subtle hints that Salazar and Helga should head back to the castle, which was always followed by a quick retort from Salazar who was growing very sick of them.

"Okay, we should rest up here again," Helga said slowing her horse while the others did the same.

There was no discussion as they set up the camp and tied the horses up. They had become so used to setting camp it was second nature now. Not a word was spoken until they were all settled around the fire.

"This is really good Helga," Rowena said as she worked her way through the stew Helga had brewed.

"Thank you again." Helga chuckled as Rowena complemented her cooking every night while the boys argued about heading back.

"You know I bet if you head back from here you could help them..." Godric began right on schedule before Salazar cut across him.

"Will you give it a damn rest Godric!" He snapped. "We are not going back so just shut the hell up. We'll be there tomorrow anyway."

Salazar saw the girls fighting fits of laughter out of the corner of his eye but his demeanour did not change. Godric seemed to have finally taken the hint as he didn't mention it again all night.

"You know we should probably head to bed now." Helga chimed getting up. "Like Salazar said we should be there tomorrow. Be best to be well rested. We have no idea what we could be riding into."

The others all nodded as they meandered their way to their tents. Salazar just stared into the flames as the others fell asleep around him. He didn't know what he would do when they finally reached their destination. He hadn't seen Thomas since he had betrayed him. But he had sworn an oath to Godric and the others. An oath he couldn't break even if he wanted to.

The cacophony of thoughts swirled endlessly about his mind as he sat there staring blankly into the fire, watching as the flames twisted and danced amongst the charred branches. Slowly eating at its source just as the thoughts in his mind were eating at him. He scoffed quietly as he stood up and kicked some loose dirt over the dying light source, smothering the lively flames, even taking a small amount of pleasure in their demise before he turned away and climbed into his tent.

ϟ

A foot and a half of pristine snow coated the ground crunching loudly under the hooves of their horses, even under all the trees. The crimson tents of the camp were barely visible in the distance with all the snow covering them, as the foursome rode slowly through the outer perimeter passing the troops huddled by their fire keeping watch. A vicious wind tore through the trees biting hard at their faces. All four of them had their cloaks pulled over their faces to protect themselves. A light sprinkling of snow dusted the wind swirling about them making it even harder to see the camp.

There were a dozen snow-covered boulders on their left sliding gently down the slope toward the camp. Helga could hear several soft shearing sounds like someone sharpening or drawing their sword coming from the campsite as they approached mixed with the sounds of hundreds of soldiers sleeping. She sighed with relief at those sounds. After nearly two weeks of riding, they had finally arrived, and they weren't too late yet. She watched the boulders drifting forward cutting a deep swathe in the snow. She was surprised by how bright the snow was even before the sun had risen. Even the deep marks in the boulders trail were visible.

"Hey, I think something's wrong." She whispered just loud enough for the other three to hear.

They all slowed and Rowena sidled up beside her, "What do you mean?" She asked.

"There are tracks coming from those boulders, like footsteps."

They quartet slowed even further as they glanced all around checking the area more thoroughly. About forty boulder-sized shapes were moving steadily toward the encampment, some even moving uphill. Godric and Salazar silently drew their swords and flanked the two girls. The girls both retrieved their bows and slung arrows loosely against the string as they moved forward again as quickly as they could without making too much noise. The camp looked dead as the sky gradually lightened around them, all of the troops on watch were at the outer perimeter. _I guess they don't expect anyone to get past the main guards_ , Helga pondered gripping her bowstring tightly with two fingers.

Helga watched as the figures breached the tree line and covered the few short yards to the camp. As the figures sped up, they began to shake off some of the snow that had gathered on them revealing the animal skin cloaks underneath. The figures closest to the camp slowly stood up and drew their weapons as they breached the outer edge of the camp. Helga sat up in the saddle and drew back her arrow, aiming for the stragglers of the group. The arrow distorted slightly as it passed the grip of the bow before settling into its course. The target just dropped silently as the arrow punctured his heart from the back. Rowena's target keeled over just as silently as she strung another arrow and took aim once more.

Godric and Salazar quickened their pace chasing down the shadowy figures infiltrating the encampment. By the time they had reached them, the girls had already taken down a third of them and were now aiming at the leaders of the group. They lunged with a quick jab in the back and a downward strike on their heads and the boys moved on to the next one quickly and quietly. The girls continued their volley often missing the boys by mere inches as they tried to take down more than the boys. Not even the harsh wind could spoil their shots as arrow after arrow hit their targets.

There were only eight left when they left the girls reach, leaving them to the boys to finish off. All eight seemed to be headed straight for the centre of the camp, not stopping to attack anyone as they weaved in and out of the tents. _Oh no,_ Helga thought, _they're heading for the king. Come on, guys._ They moved like the shadows they were hunting, bringing them down one after another. Rowena joined Helga as they watched the boys move between the tents, now on foot because the tents were too close together for horses. They both took separate paths tracking the four remaining infiltrators.

They were only four tents from the kings. The sun peeked over the edge of the distant mountains making it hard for the girls to see as it glinted off the millions of tiny snowflakes dancing in front of them. They could just make out the boys as they caught the last four right outside the King's tent, taking the first two by surprise but getting caught in a proper fight with the others. The girls spurred their horses forward rushing to aid the others as fast as they could. The sound of the swords clashing seemed to wake the sleeping soldiers who were rushing from their tents as the girls rode past. They arrived to watch Salazar finish his opponent moments before Godric downed his.

Godric looked at the girls and smiled, "13." He said, wiping his blade clean and returning it to his sheath.

"Damn," Salazar exclaimed as he cleaned his sword off. "7."

"9." Rowena smiled as she dismounted.

"11." Helga giggled mimicking Rowena.

They all turned suddenly as the King rushed from his tent sword drawn, his eyes still baring the sticky yellowy residue of sleep. "What on earth is going on here." His gaze drifted from the quartet to the trail of bodies six times before the realisation seemed to dawn on him.

"Hi, dad." Rowena chimed breaking the awkward silence.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Bringing help and a warning your highness," Godric said with a big smile still spread across his face.

"Help? Where is it?"

"Right here," Godric said indicating his small group.

"You can't be serious. I can't let you fight. Especially not you Rowena, I can't believe you're even here."

"Well if we weren't here neither would you." Salazar groaned.

"What?"

"These guys were about to sneak into your tent and slit your throat while you slept. Then they probably would have crept through the rest of the camp and killed as many as they could." Salazar drawled looking bored with the current topic. "But if you don't mind we have been riding for about fifteen straight hours and had a pretty tidy little fight and would like to have a little sleep before we get into arguing."

Helga and Rowena just stood there stunned while Godric tried his hardest not to burst out laughing at the look on the King's face as Salazar just started walking back to his horse.

"As subtle as our friend over there is he is right, we're pretty exhausted dad," Rowena said when she finally found her tongue again.

"Fine, you can use those tents over there, and these guys will take your horses." The King replied.

"That's ok but I think we might rest the horses ourselves, you might not remember but Dracari here can be pretty grumpy around other people."

"Alright. But we are finishing this discussion later." The King chastised as he turned and disappeared back into his tent.

The trio just burst out laughing as they turned and headed back to where Salazar was waiting moodily with the horses.

ϟ

A thick mist covered the ground obscuring everything from view. Horrible crunching sounds emanated from below as horse after horse moved silently forward. There was a heavy menacing air about these riders, every one cloaked in long black robes that hid all but their gloved hands from view. Even the sun seemed reluctant to reveal itself in their presence as it hung behind the far mountains longer than was usual for the time of year.

Their horses looked ragged and ill, their skin hung loosely about their skeleton like a badly sized coat. Their eyes were dull and bloodshot, flecked with white lines and spots. The mist appeared to thicken as the figures rode ever onward, unperturbed by the lack of life in the area. There were no birds singing their morning songs, nor any small creatures scurrying about the underbrush. It was as though these lands were dead, even though they had been lively and jolly the night before. But no normal beast could remain in the presence of this group for long without suffering at the hands of the despair leeching out from under their cloaks.

In fact, for several miles there was only a single living being, riding at the head of the dark group smiling maniacally at the hiding sun. He was close now after many weeks of riding and swelling his ranks, and now Thomas could think of nothing but the coming battle. His army was now twenty thousand strong and would sweep aside the pitiful resistance that would surely await him. He could already see the smoke curling up from behind the nearby hills, the final barrier he must pass.

He raised his hand and the entire army stopped immediately, controlled with a singular purpose. "Wait here." He intoned though not a single troop would move without command.

Thomas continued forward slowly climbing the last few hills between him and the King's encampment. The mist clung to his heels softly as he left its reaches, noticing that the light was growing faster now he was free of its grip. As he crested the final hill he noticed sounds of battle coming from ahead of him. The King's army was heavily engaged in battle with the Celts, and they were not faring well.

There were only a few thousand left and Thomas could see their spirit was close to breaking point. Evidently, his plot to have the Celts assassinate the king had failed as he now led the fresh charge against the barbarian ranks.

"No matter," he mused to himself as he turned and headed back down the hill, "soon I shall have the pleasure of watching him die by my own hands."

ϟ

Dark clouds stretched out over the brooding landscape, mirroring Godric's mood as he waited for the sun to break from the cover of the dull mountains in the distance. A thick silence lay over the empty expanse beyond the camp as though the animals were afraid to come forth. Godric sighed as the dull sky behind the steel grey mountains began to lighten with each passing moment, ushering the dawn with a quiet inevitability.

Six times the Celts had attacked since Godric and his friends had arrived and not once had they been allowed any nearer the battle than the edge of the camp. Rowena was suffering the most as her father would not even allow her to view the battles, making sure she was right on the other side of the camp to where the action was taking place. Godric could feel the frustration in his friends, and every night it kept him awake as he wondered what he had really expected the adults to do.

Others began to stir in the camp around him, so Godric walked out past the boundaries of the camp hoping to hold on to his solitude for a little while longer. No word had been heard of Thomas since their arrival, but Godric knew it was only a matter of time before he arrived. He also pondered over what Max would be doing in their absence, and what punishment awaited Godric for leading them off like he did.

He sighed deeply again as he felt his spirit lighten as though someone had lifted all the cares from his shoulders. "Morning Rowena." He said, keeping his eyes directed at the distant hills.

"I hate it when you do that. Ruins all the fun." Rowena chided as she sat by his side. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he lied glancing at her face. "OW!" Godric cried, rubbing the back of his head as Rowena glared at him. "What was that for?"

"I told you to stop lying to me. You're not very good at it you know."

"Yeah, so you keep reminding me." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"So?" Rowena probed after several minutes of silence.

"He's out there," Godric whispered, "and I don't know if I can stop him."

Rowena eyed Godric carefully, not daring to move. She had been trying to get Godric to tell her this for days but he had remained tight-lipped. He had even begun distancing himself from the others in his brooding, disappearing for hours at a time. The only time he joined the group was when her father summoned him to their war meetings.

"And it's not just about defeating his army. I can never forgive him for what he has done to me, and to you." Godric confessed, staring straight into her eyes. She could see the torment swimming within him pass between them until he turned back to face the mountains.

"I..." Rowena began before a loud horn cut her off. They both knew exactly what it meant. That Rowena was about to be herded aside while Godric was allowed to stand and watch as the Celts assaulted the boundaries again. Neither one actually being allowed to aid the soldiers.

Godric stood quickly and held his hand out for Rowena. "Come on, I'm sick of this rubbish." He said helping her up. He held a finger to his mouth as they ducked behind some small bushes a few metres outside the camp. They silently ducked into the tent containing all their gear and Godric quickly grabbed his weapons. "Quickly, before they find us."

Godric helped Rowena into some spare armour and a rather ungainly helmet that hid her face nicely, before slipping into some himself, just sliding the helmet on as a handful of soldiers entered the tent.

"Have you two seen the King's daughter? She isn't in her tent." The first asked.

Godric just shook his head, fearing that if he spoke that they would recognise him.

"Very well then, get to the front fast; we need all hands ready for the assault."

Godric nodded and slipped out of the tent after the soldiers with Rowena following close behind. Both knew exactly where to go, which was good because Godric could hear nothing but the heavy beating of his heart echoing in his ears. The cold steel of his helmet pressed in against his brow restricting his view and stifling his breath. Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Godric turned to see Rowena had pulled him up before he walked into the soldier in front of him who had now stopped.

Godric looked around at the ranks they were now a part of watching as they shuffled nervously, awaiting the battle ahead. They all looked worse for wear, many sporting large gashes and holes in their armour that they had given up on repairing. Godric smiled to himself as he looked back at Rowena and noticed that her armour was entirely intact, that would make it easier to keep track of her and keep her safe.

He noticed a murmur spreading through the ranks behind him, followed by the clanking of armour shifting. Suddenly the ranks on either side of him split leaving him standing alone in the path of several horses riding through the gap. He jumped to the side at the last moment as King John and his generals rode ahead to the front of the army preparing to face the enemy, and the ranks reformed again. An uneasiness gripped Godric as he felt the drum beats of the Celts approaching. Each strike reverberating in his chest as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as it lay in its scabbard.

The sun peeked out from behind the mountains at long last casting an eerie glow across the ranks of soldiers laid in front of him, making him squint ahead as the Celtic lines crested the final hill and marched down into position. Godric ran his fingers over his wand clipped to the inside of his scabbard. He had promised himself that he wouldn't use magic in battle against the Celts, but it comforted him to know that it was there. His spirit lifted as a general to the Kings left raised a large horn and blew.

The soldiers all drew their swords and began the charge, yelling indistinct battle cries until with a mighty clang the two sides collided. Nothing could have prepared Godric for this moment. Celts were dashing under the swords of the soldiers and wildly swinging their axes, cleaving friend and foe alike. Many fell in the first few moments before the soldiers adapted their strategy.

Godric turned to see Rowena standing firm as their position. Godric drew his sword and a small dagger and charged at the incoming troops, taking the first down with a deft throw of the dagger. The seconds brought his axe down in a broad stroke which Godric only just deflected. The blade of Godric's sword became entangled between the axe blade and handle and he couldn't raise it back up to attack. The Celt smiled viciously as he punched at Godric, knocking him off balance. But as Godric fell his smile vanished as Rowena ran him through.

A quick nod was all the thanks Godric could muster before his attention was drawn to the next enemy in line, and he only had fleeting moments in which to check on Rowena as he began fighting back with the same ferociousness as those he was fighting. His movements were more like a dance, one kill leading into the next as his sword slid from one body and slashed across another. His moves were always fluid, slicing across enemies rather than jabbing and stopping. His mind was clear of all but the battle at hand, completely focused on his next few moves, always thinking of the next step.

The pair cut a deep swathe of the enemy line, leaving bodies scattered all over. Godric couldn't help but smile at the way Rowena seemed to glide along, remaining graceful in her movements even in the heat of battle. But his attention was always drawn quickly back to a new enemy to engage. Suddenly a huge Celt blocked his path, knocking several others aside without the slightest effort. He twirled a great broadsword down through the air, missing Godric's head by mere inches. He put his entire body into every stroke, forcing Godric to focus on dodging each blow and forcing him further and further back. Godric tried to parry the mighty swipes but his sword was battered aside each time.

The Celt lashed out with a broad upward stroke that caught Godric unprepared. The tip of the blade caught his helmet, breaking the steel surface which dug deeply across Godric's face leaving a long gash as the helmet flew off and into the air. Pain tore through Godric as he felt blood seep into his eye, but he pushed the thought aside. Time seemed to slow as Godric saw his chance. The heavy upward stroke had left the Celt's chest wide open and Godric lunged burying his sword right to the hilt and twisting it fiercely. Realisation filled the Celt's eyes as his grip loosened on the sword still flying upwards and it twirled off into the distance. The Celt was dead before he hit the ground.

Godric recovered his sword and prepared to face another foe, but realised that the battle was over. The remaining Celts were retreating over the hill. His had been the final dual, and most of the soldiers were staring at him in disbelief. Godric ignored them as he looked about the battlefield which was awash with blood. His vision was impaired as he kept his right eye closed tightly, not wanting to think of the damage to his face, all he wanted was to find Rowena. Someone grabbed him from behind and sat him on the ground.

"Oh my God, Godric are you ok?" Rowena asked, the fear in her voice evident.

She cast her helmet aside and looked at him concern written in every inch of her face. Godric smiled deeply as he watched her fuss. "It's just a scratch Rowena. I'll be fine."

"That is yet to be seen, Godric." A voice stated from behind him.

Godric turned to see the king looking at him fiercely. "I'll bet you want an explanation." He said, standing up again with Rowena's help.

"Not as much as us." Salazar snapped as he walked up behind the king, "when were you planning on telling us about your little plan, hey?"

Helga looked just as angry as Salazar until she caught sight of the blood running down Godric face. She ran over to help Rowena support him.

"Well I can tell you're all pretty upset, but do you mind if we have this argument back at the camp?" Rowena chided, "I don't feel like holding him here all day."

Godric laughed to himself as he nodded to her and the three of them picked their way carefully between the bodies, heading back toward the tents.


	21. Despair

_Chapter 21 – Despair_

* * *

Godric winced as the nurse dabbed at his wound with a damp cloth, slowly wiping the blood aside to reveal the deep gash running over his cheek.

"You are so lucky Godric." She chided, looking it over, "Whatever did this must have missed your eye by a fraction. You should be fine, but there will definitely be a scar."

"Well, there go his good looks then." Laughed Helga though relief was etched on her face. "Rowena won't want you anymore."

"Very funny." Godric retorted though he couldn't help but smile. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine. She didn't even get a scratch, but her father looked furious. I think he wants to send her back but doesn't trust anyone enough to take her." Salazar grumbled as he entered the tent. "Told the nurse that she isn't even allowed to leave the tent without his permission."

"Yeah, well I guess we shouldn't have expected any less," Godric said as the nurse removed his armour. "They all think that we shouldn't even be here."

Helga gasped as she looked over at Godric; there were tiny cuts and bruises all over his torso.

"I'm not surprised," the nurse commented, "I'm amazed that you are still alive. You must be the luckiest soul alive. Nothing worse than a few cuts. Would one of you mind tending these, I have a lot of others to see to."

She walked off without waiting for a reply as Helga stepped over and dabbed the cloth onto the cuts. "What do you think they'll do?" She asked as she washed off the dirt and grime around the wounds, noting a large cut across his left shoulder.

"Probably, send us all home." Salazar growled, "after all 'war is no place for children.'"

The three laughed but stopped abruptly as John entered the tent. He glared at Salazar for a moment before walking over to Godric and surveying his wounds.

"You got rather lucky out there it seems, I have soldiers who lost entire limbs in that fight." He asserted. The trio remained silent as he stared at Godric. "But you are luckier still that nothing happened to my daughter."

There was a quiet rage in the king's eyes as he continued to stare at Godric. "As I told you before, milord, I will never let anything happen to her. She was never in any danger. And if I may say so, she would have done something a lot more drastic if you had kept hiding her away every time something interesting happened. She is more capable than you're willing to admit." Godric declared, staring straight back at the king.

Helga and Salazar stood silently watching the two. The king looked way beyond angry, and a lesser man would have cowered under the gaze directed at Godric, but he merely sat there staring back at the king impassively. But as the king opened his mouth to reply, Rowena came charging into the tent.

"Oh my, are you alright?" She asked sweeping past her father.

"I'll be fine," Godric replied pulling her into a hug gingerly.

"That remains to be seen," John interjected, becoming angrier by the second.

"Will you just stop it, father. It was my idea anyway. Godric only came along to make sure I wasn't in danger." Rowena lied staring back at her father just as angrily.

John stared at her, surveying her face as if trying to sniff out a trace of the lie in her expression. But her face remained unreadable beyond the obvious anger and concern. Godric was just as impossible to read, sitting behind Rowena watching the exchange blankly.

"Well..." John began.

"Milord!" A soldier interrupted, rushing into the tent. "A large force approaches from the hills. It is Thomas Gryffindor."

"At last. Finally some reinforcements. You four wait here while I deal with this. This discussion is not over."

John swept from the tent without another word or glance at any of them, leaving the soldier to watch them. Godric leapt from the small bed and reached for his things but fell to the floor in pain, tearing some of the cuts open further in his haste.

"Godric, sit down," Helga instructed trying to lead him back over to the bed.

"I'm not going to just sit here while..." Godric started.

"Godric please just sit down and stop trying to be the hero for once. There is nothing you can do right now." Rowena cut across him.

"But..."

"No buts, you aren't going out there."

Helga and Rowena escorted him back to the bed and forced him to sit back down. Salazar just sat in the corner watching the exchange, trying not to laugh at them all. He walked to the entrance and pulled it aside so that they could all see what was going on.

"Is that better?" He asked grinning.

"That depends on what we see," Godric replied seriously.

ϟ

John stood at the edge of camp watching Thomas approach at the head of several hundred black clothed troops. He shivered slightly as a chill crept forward through the camp but didn't show any outward signs of discomfort. His mind was only half on the scene ahead of him as his mind kept drifting back to his daughter in the midst of that battle.

Thomas raised his hand and jolted John back to the present as all the troops stopped while Thomas continued forward marching right up to John.

"Welcome Thomas. I must say that..." John began.

"Enough of this idle chat." Thomas interrupted garnering a murmur from those gathered. "I have not come to aid your little fight here. I have come to tell you to surrender the throne to me immediately or I shall attack this camp with the full force of my army, which is considerably stronger than that gathered behind me." Thomas finished looking down at the King from his horse.

John stood there speechless for a moment before he started laughing. "Good one Thomas. Very funny."

"I assure you this is no joke. You will either surrender the throne to me by this time tomorrow I shall attack." Thomas said a vicious grin spreading across his lips.

John was once more stunned into silence as he glanced about at the men gathered nearby. Surely this must have been a joke Thomas had cooked up on his way here.

"Hey." A voice called from behind John.

He turned to see Salazar punch the guard he had left by their tent as the other three marched over to join him.

"I told you to stay in the tent." John chastised them as they approached.

"Ah, I see you managed to arrive before me. Not that it will do you any good." Thomas said, his grin spreading wider as the foursome took up positions beside the king.

"What do you want Thomas," Godric demanded ignoring both John and Thomas' comments.

"The same thing I have wanted for years. His throne."

John was quickly becoming angered at this foolishness. "Now stop being stupid. Bring your troops up here so they can settle into the camp and we will move this discussion into the strategy tent."

"Have you not being listening, you old fool?" Thomas growled glaring at John. "I am not here to assist you. You have exactly one day to accede to my demands or I shall attack. And I shall not be inclined to spare any who stand in my way."

Thomas' gaze shifted to Rowena as his grin grew wider again. John followed his gaze as Thomas turned his mount and headed back down the small hill toward his stationary troops. John's mind was spinning with thoughts as he ran back over the unbelievable conversation he had just had. But one thought kept coming through over all the others. Rowena was now in serious danger.

"Michael." He called. A young soldier walked forward. "Take my daughter and put her in my tent. Take as many men as you think it will take to guard her and keep her there while I figure out what to do here."

Rowena made to protest as Michael grabbed her arm.

"Don't fight me on this one Rowena. I am in no mood to argue this right now. Just go." John said.

Rowena glanced at the others as she was led away. "Your Highness, hiding her away is not going to solve this problem," Helga said softly.

"I know that. I only want her hidden away while I arrange to have her taken back to the castle where she will be safe." He replied.

"You can't do that," Godric growled. "She will hate you forever for that."

"I can do whatever I please Godric, I am the King, and you would do well to remember that before your mouth or actions get you into serious trouble. Now go back to your tent while I sort things out."

He glared at Godric so fiercely that even Godric knew the conversation was over. Helga grabbed his arm and led him back to his tent. Salazar stood there for a moment before following the others, but glared over his shoulder at both the King and Thomas' retreating figure.

ϟ

"So?" Helga asked as they entered the tent.

"So what?" Godric replied confused as he sat on the bed.

"How are we going to break Rowena out? I won't let her be sent away. She deserves to be here just as much as any of us."

"You heard the King. He would kill us if we put her in danger again." Salazar said as he entered, casting a quick but subtle silencing charm on the entrance.

"Helga's right though. We can't let him send her away." Godric said deep in thought.

"So what, when it gets dark we find a way into her tent, which is surrounded by guards, grab her, without making any noise, and sneak her back out, past all the guards again, and then what hide out in the forest or something?" Salazar asked his voice laced with sarcasm.

"No that will never work." Godric agreed.

"Exactly," Salazar said looking rather proud of bringing them to their senses.

"We can't wait until nightfall," Godric stated, wiping the smile from Salazar's face. "The King will send her away as soon as possible. He won't risk sending her after dark in case Thomas tries to block us in. He wants her as far away as possible long before dark. But otherwise, that's a great plan, Salazar."

Salazar just watched him dumbstruck while Helga turned to Godric.

"So how do we get past the guards?"

"That's the easy part," Godric said slipping off the bed and grabbing some clean clothing.

The other two just stared at him blankly until finally Helga grew impatient and cleared her throat loudly.

"What?" Godric asked as he finished dressing.

"You gonna tell us or just make us guess?"

"Oh, I thought it was obvious. We use magic as a distraction. None of these guys has seen a Patronus before so I reckon it will make a pretty effective distraction, don't you?"

"That's actually a really good plan. But whose should we use?" Helga asked.

"I thought yours would be best. Salazar's is still a little indistinct and mine would probably just make them double the guard. Plus unicorns are actually silver when they are younger so they might not think it's a trick."

"Ok so when are we doing this?" Salazar asked finally looking himself again.

"Now," Godric said forcefully as he lifted his gear from the floor and clipped it around his waist. He still strained slightly as he moved but his determination to help Rowena made it only a minor inconvenience. "You ready?" He asked moving over to the entry.

The others stood up and followed him as he snuck around the corner and disappeared into the camp.

ϟ

Despite the bright sun resting overhead an eerie chill covered the camp causing the guard's breath to cloud as they breathed out. Most had already bored of their guard duty and were sitting about chatting to one another about the new turn of events.

Only those by the entrance to the tent were still standing to attention. They were the first to hear the hooves moving softly around the tent, but they all soon noticed as the silver unicorn walked right past them heading deeper into the camp. None of them had seen a unicorn before much less up this close, so they all rushed to follow it as it danced its way amongst the tents.

Its hooves didn't even leave marks in the soft grass as it walked, attracting more curious onlookers. It walked right up to the strategy tent and walked straight through the open entryway. Everyone inside stopped what they were doing as they watched dumbfounded as the unicorn simply stood there staring at them all.

A soft breeze blew in through the entryway and the unicorn dissolved into silvery dust blown out through every crack in the tent's exterior. The King stood there a moment before he noticed the guards he had posted on Rowena's tent were standing in the entryway looking in with half the camp gathered behind them.

"What are you doing here? You should be watching my daughter!" John yelled as he rushed past them running full speed to his tent and throwing the doorway open.

The tent was completely empty except for a small handwritten note sitting on John's bed. He walked over to it and picked it up glancing at the soft slanted writing of his daughter.

 _Sorry, father._

He turned on his heel and glared viciously at the guards who were now huddled fearfully around the entrance.

ϟ

Rowena heard her father yelling even as they rode quickly through the trees. She felt sorry for the poor guards as she knew they would be punished severely but she was glad the others had broken her out.

"Where are we going?" She asked as Godric led them deeper through the trees.

"There is a small clearing up a bit further which will put us close to the edge of the field Thomas will have to cross on his march. That way we will be able to get in his way and maybe even stop him completely."

"Don't you think we need to get a little further away from the camp? The King will surely find our trail as soon as he has stopped yelling at his men." Helga asked.

"Rowena, think you can do anything about that trail. We don't want to be followed." Godric stated without looking back.

Rowena pulled out her wand and mumbled an incantation before pointing it behind her. A soft spiral of white light seeped from its tip spreading to cover the path behind them. It repaired the branches they had damaged and removed their horse's hoof prints from the ground. It even smothered their scent making it impossible for them to track them with dogs.

"Done." She smiled as she had never had an opportunity to try that spell out before.

"Good, because we are here," Godric said pulling his horse up as they entered the small clearing.

It was not very big, only a few metres across but it was enough for the four of them. Most of the gaps between the trunks of the trees were covered with twigs and branches making a silent approach very difficult. And through the trees, they could see the hilly area where Thomas must have camped his troops.

"So now what genius?" Salazar asked settling himself down.

"We wait. And when Thomas attacks we stop him."

"I figured that." Salazar replied rolling his eyes, "but how exactly do we do that?"

"I haven't completely worked that out yet," Godric said staring across the plains to the hills.

He had absolutely no idea how to stop Thomas. And now it was on his shoulders to protect not only Rowena but the others as well. Though he would never reveal his feelings to any of them.

ϟ

The sun was just clearing the mountains and the camp was abuzz with activity. Soldiers were running about everywhere preparing for the battle they were told would be coming, though none of them knew when.

The entire valley was silent, as though all the animals had fled it during the night. No birds were singing morning songs and there were no small rodents rushing through the camp looking for food. The only movement seemed to be the soldiers themselves.

A strange creaking sound was drifting into the camp from down the hill. One lieutenant looked out over the broad plain curiously.

"Sir." He called to a nearby captain. "What is that?"

He pointed out over the plain to where four figures stood directly between the camp and the hills. As they watched the front lines of Thomas' army crested the hill. They stretched across all the available space as they moved forward now clothed in white rather than the black they had been in the day before.

"TO ARMS!" Called the captain as he saw the troops and rushed off to alert the King.

ϟ

"You guys ready?" Godric asked looking at each of his friends in turn.

They were all dressed in armour and holding their bows ready to make the first strike as soon as Thomas' army came into range. They all stood several metres apart in an attempt to prevent targeting the same enemy. Soft billows of breath could be seen rushing out from their helmets in the cold morning air.

"As we will ever be I guess," Helga replied from his right.

"Let's do this then. Take aim. As soon as they come in range fire all we've got."

Helga had suggested the night before that they attempt to take out as many as possible from long range but Godric doubted arrows would do much to stop the onslaught that approached. The best they could hope for was to break the skeletons up enough to render them useless.

He watched the undead troops approach down the shaft of his arrow, watching as each step drew them inexorably closer. _Steady,_ whispered a voice in the back of his mind. They had nearly reached the mark. Only a few more steps.

"Fire!" He called, loosing his own arrow and hastily reaching for another not bothering to see if his first struck its target.

Arrows shot out from the foursome raining down on the advancing lines. Arms and legs were shattered free as the arrows struck their targets. The skeletons continued their march unperturbed by the loss of their limbs, moving with only one purpose.

"Keep firing. We need as big an advantage as possible." Godric said as the skeletons approached their position.

A horn sounded behind him but Godric didn't bother to turn to see who it was. The skeletons were right on top of them and he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Form up." He called dropping his bow and pulling his sword free as the others moved in closer to him.

They waited in silence as the skeletons closed the gap between them. Helga groaned as she saw them for the first time. Many of them still had ragged strips of flesh hanging from the bones. Some were still even covered in dirty pieces of clothing or armour. Their heads were truly terrifying; empty white sockets sat were there should have been eyes, drawing your gaze despite your revulsion. Many had teeth missing and some were missing entire jaws or worse. Some with decaying remains of what had once been their faces.

Finally, they reached the foursome and began their attack. Godric's attention was immediately drawn to the enemy as it slashed down at him attempting to knock him aside so it could continue its march. Their blades locked and Godric twisted on his right foot, bringing his sword around and decapitating the skeleton. He made to attack another when the headless body swung at him fiercely and he only just avoided the blow. The skeleton assaulted him ferociously, swinging wildly with every stroke. Godric could barely keep ahead of the broad swipes, raising his sword in several feeble attempts to block the forceful strikes. Finally, the skeletons connected properly against Godric's sword knocking him off his feet.

His sword flew from his grip as he landed roughly rolling aside as yet another swipe from the skeleton buried its sword into the soft earth where his torso had just been laying. Somehow Godric's helmet had remained in place after his violent fall however it was now seriously hampering his view. He reefed the helmet loose and threw it at the pursuing skeletons chest watching happily as it shattered several bones as it passed straight through. He resumed his search for his sword keeping an eye on the skeleton dodging feet and arrows. He finally saw it sitting several metres to his right under the feet of a huge skeleton decked out in full armour.

He groaned silently to himself as he pushed himself up. He quickly ducked another blow from the first skeleton and leapt forward lunging for his sword. The second skeleton saw him as he approached and moved to intercept but it moved too slow. Godric's fingers closed around the hilt of his sword and he swung it the moment his body struck the ground, lopping the legs clean off the larger skeleton. It collapsed behind him as he stood and faced down the first skeleton which was now chasing after him. He stood firm awaiting the strike, spreading his feet to better balance his weight.

The strike came as soon as the skeleton was in range but Godric was fully prepared now. He pressed down with his right foot spinning quickly out of the way on his left and brought his sword around his body swiping down and across the shoulder of the skeleton as it blundered past him. His blow connected shattering the shoulder blade and continuing down through the ribs and sending parts of skeleton flying in all directions. Its legs stepped about a few times as though confused about what to do next before they collapsed in on themselves joining the rest of the skeleton on the ground. Godric grinned broadly and returned his attention to the large skeleton that was clawing its way across the ground. Several quick strikes had it in pieces as well.

Godric paused for a moment to survey the scene. He quickly located the others who were gathered together working their way deeper into the enemy lines. They were making considerable progress as they covered each other's attacks leaving a wake of shattered bodies behind them. He moved swiftly, using the broad side of his sword to break up as many skeletons as he could on his way back to his friends. Shattered bone and empty armour littered the ground around their feet as Godric finally approached.

He looked up as he approached and his heart stopped. He saw Helga swing a broad stroke at a nearby skeleton and slip as she stepped on a bone on the ground. Her shot swung wildly over its head and pulled her even further off balance. Salazar and Rowena were engaged in their own skirmishes and couldn't see Helga's predicament. A wicked smile spread across the decaying face of the skeleton as it stepped forward raising its axe. Godric stood frozen for a moment as the situation sunk in. He dug his toes in and lunged forward with all his might meeting the skeleton in a full body tackle as it commenced its swing.

There was a sickening crack and Godric felt his sword slip from his grasp once more. He could feel the skeleton struggling underneath his form and he began smashing his elbow down upon it. There were several more cracking sounds as he smashed bone after bone, not stopping until the skeleton was completely still. Someone grabbed him roughly from behind lifting him back onto his feet. Still weaponless, Godric swung wildly at this new foe, hoping to catch them off balance.

"Watch it you fool." Salazar cursed him as he roughly shoved Godric's sword back into his hand and moved back to the fight.

Godric smiled to himself as he rejoined the fight, casting a quick glance at Helga to make sure she was still alright. Most of Thomas' force was spread too far to either side of the small quartet for them to do much. The skeletons mostly moved swiftly around them continuing on their march. Only those unlucky enough to fall within the small radius of their group were destroyed. Fear began to clutch at Godric's stomach. There was nothing that they could do to halt the skeletons. They were going to fail.

A mighty horn blasted once more, now not far behind at all. Godric turned to see the source this time and watched as the lines of the skeletons that had passed over them crashed headlong into the King's army, now only a few hundred metres behind them. Hope blossomed in his chest once more as he turned back to engage the enemy with renewed fervour. He took several steps out from their small group in order to cast a wider strike into the lines of the skeletons, shattering more and more with every stroke.

White shards of bone filled the air, dancing in all directions, glancing off shield and armour alike. The screams of wounded and dying soldiers filled Godric's ears as the foursome slashed their way deeper into the enemy lines. But with each step, they took the screaming increased. Every soldier in the King's army still able to walk was throwing everything they had at the skeletons and they were being swept aside like dust. Screams echoed from every direction as the skeletons marched resolutely onwards. Hundreds of them were being smashed to pieces but the others continued completely oblivious slaughtering the soldiers who got in their way.

"This is hopeless Godric," Salazar yelled. "We're being massacred. We have to retreat."

"There is nowhere to retreat to! These things will just keep coming and overrun the camp."

"Well, we have to do something. We won't last much longer here." Rowena added as she spun past the two, sword flying.

Fear settled over Godric as he analysed their situation. Everywhere he looked soldiers were engaged with their enemy and they were being slaughtered like animals. A deep chill was following the skeletons and was setting over the already demoralised troops. Godric could see they were close to the edge. Many were cracking under the overwhelming onslaught. They could not sustain this battle much longer, but there was nowhere they could escape to that Thomas' skeletons would not follow. The best that they could hope for was a small head start as Thomas replenished his force from this field of death.

Even the weather was closing in about them as the previously clear sky was quickly filling with heavy dark clouds trailing a deep darkness as they washed inexorably over the mountains. Despair grasped Godric as he watched the shadow transform the already frightening scene into a living nightmare. And with the darkness came a debilitating sense of claustrophobia, making you feel as though you were miles underground making escape completely impossible. A mighty thunderclap cut across the battlefield with frightening intensity affecting everyone but the undead forces who continued slashing away.

Time seemed to slow dramatically for Godric as he stood there. The sound of the thunder had frozen in its march across the field. The pressure wave was almost visible, yet another tangible enemy beating at the soul of the army. He could feel the moisture building in the darkened mass above ready to pummel them all. The mountains were nigh invisible in the darkness. He could see the King a few dozen feet away holding his own against several dark figures, soldiers everywhere looked on the verge of madness. Helga was frozen in what must have been an artful sweep of her blade; several severed enemy body parts were stuck in the air, unable to continue their descent. Salazar was planted firmly on the ground, face determined as five skeletons moved to intercept him.

But the despair reacted to none of this until he caught sight of a single flame amongst the chaos. Rowena was stopped in the middle of a well-controlled spin, sword flaring out from her body as though it were no less than an extension of her arm. But it was her face that broke him. A sheer determination was etched in every feature. The hopelessness of the situation seemed unable to touch her as she worked away at the skeletons. An icy hand reached into Godric's chest and squeezed his heart so powerfully he thought he would die that very second. There was nothing he could do to save her. He had led her to her doom.

Godric fell to his knees as time resumed, terror still not releasing its stranglehold on his heart. A huge weight rested on his shoulders crushing his body deeper and deeper into the ground as a loud whooshing sound passed directly over his head followed immediately by a mighty crash of sound. Confusion clutched at his mind as he tried to sort things out. That had not been another clap of thunder, it had been much fuller and sustained. It had been a horn blast. Immediately the helplessness disappeared and Godric leapt to his feet as he felt a thud from behind him. He whipped around and saw a skeleton flailing on the ground behind him, obviously having lunged at his back as he stood, and missed completely.

He quickly dispatched it and looked west as the horn blared again. A huge force had just burst from the valley among the hills and was crashing through the ranks of the skeletons scattering them all over the place. The sudden appearance of this large force seemed to have confused the entire enemy force, they were just standing, looking useless as the King's army and this new group continued smashing their way through everything they could reach.

Godric smiled and started hacking his way wildly forward, struggling to reach the head of this new party. The others followed after him as the skeletons launched back into action with renewed vigour, but it didn't seem to be enough, the newcomers had broken the spell the skeletons seemed to have cast on the King's army.

"Charge men, no mercy." Echoed a voice from the head of the force, a voice Godric recognised in an instant.

"Max."

It came out as barely a whisper from his lips, but it echoed back to him from behind him as he ran. And he glanced over his shoulder to the other three looking elated and charging along after him. Lightning illuminated the scene and they could all see Max up ahead, engaged with someone that was clearly still alive.

"Thomas."

Again it was barely more than a whisper but this time there was a sinister growl that tore up from deep within Godric's chest as a slight red hue cut into his view. His pace quickened as he watched the exchange unfolding in front of his eyes. Here was his chance, revenge would be his. But a sudden disappointment crept into his mind as he watched Max gain the upper hand and knock Thomas to the ground. He was too slow, he was about to miss his chance.

A slight clearing was developing around the fight as Godric leapt forward now only a few strides from the ring. Max positioned himself above Thomas' body and raised his sword, a look of obvious triumph spread wide across his face.

Godric stumbled as he finally passed into the opening as the look on Max's face suddenly dropped, horror replacing triumph in less than a heartbeat. Godric instantly forgot about everything else as his eyes fixed on Max's expression, the bloodlust that had driven him over the last ten metres drained out as though someone had pulled the plug on his emotions. He dropped to his knees once more and slid the last foot to Max as he too mirrored Godric's movement. Arms reached out from somewhere behind Godric and caught Max's falling body, holding it close to his.

It took him a moment for Godric to realise that it was his arms holding Max until that second his body had been completely empty of all feeling locked entirely on the look on Max's face. It was a mixture of surprise and defeat. Godric managed to tear his gaze from Max's long enough to gaze down at his chest from which four arrowheads now protruded.

"Max..." Godric whispered.

"I'm so sorry Godric. Is Helga safe?"

"I'm right here dad." A torn up voice came from Godric's right startling him slightly.

"I am so proud of you both. I am sorry I was always so cryptic with you. Take care of one another."

"No, dad. We still need you." Helga wept her voice breaking on almost every syllable.

"I am so sorry sweetheart. Look after your mother for me." He reached out and took her hand which had already drained of so much colour, it was nearly as pale as the bones scattered about him.

Godric wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but he couldn't make his mouth move, much less sound come out. He still felt completely empty, as though someone had ripped his insides out. He couldn't care less what was happening in the battle around them, his eyes were still fixed on the face of the man who had been the only father he had ever known.

Max smiled at them once more and closed his eyes. Godric could feel the breath leaving Max's body, and somehow he knew with all his being that he would never take another. He barely noticed as two pairs of arms wrapped around his chest as someone started crying on his shoulder. There were strange noises coming from all around him but Godric couldn't make out any of it. Only one though now rested in his mind. REVENGE! Thomas had now taken his entire family, even those who weren't related by blood. Anger burned through every fibre of his being, burning him at the same time as flooding him with strength.

"GODRIC!" Someone screamed shaking him fiercely.

He turned his gaze and found Rowena was grasping his arms shaking him her mouth moving soundlessly. Her face was as perfect as ever except for a tiny line of blood seeping down from just above her hairline.

"You're hurt." He said, the anger washing suddenly from his body.

"You need to stop Godric, you're going to kill yourself." She screamed.

"What are you talking about?"

"THE ARROWS!" She scalded.

He looked down and realised that she wasn't trying to shake him, but was trying to pry him from Max. He instinctively held Max even tighter feeling a slight pressure on his chest.

"Godric please." Came a soft voice from his right.

He turned to see that Helga was doing the same thing as Rowena. He couldn't believe that they were trying to tear him from Max, especially Helga, why was she so unphased by her own father's death.

"You have stabbed yourself in the chest with the arrows you moron." Salazar chided from behind Godric.

"What arrows?" Godric asked finally loosening his grip on Max enough to let the others shift him back.

He looked down and saw three gashes in his chest which were leaking blood badly. He immediately shifted Max further from his body so he would not be sullied by the blood pouring out of his chest. It was only then he realised that it was raining on his head and he looked up to see that the clouds had unleashed their stores at last. As he looked down again he saw that there were hundreds of soldiers standing all around them.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Not now," Rowena whispered in his ear, gently prying Max from his arms, this time he didn't resist. "You need to get inside. Come with me. Salazar will help carry Max back."

Godric's mind went blank again as he gazed at Rowena unable to resist her this time as she pulled him up and forced him to walk away back toward the camp. All the colour seemed to drain from the world as he stared at her and he stumbled as the ground rushed toward him. He heard Rowena scream but couldn't reach out to her, he was a prisoner in his own body and as he hit the ground he remembered no more.


	22. The Funeral

_Chapter 22 – The Funeral_

* * *

THUMP!

The sound echoed in Godric's ears, vibrating everything around him.

THUMP! THUMP!

It frustrated him. It interrupted the rest he so desperately sought. Every thump pulled him further from that destination.

THUMP! THUMP! " _Please..._ "

Godric was startled and the thumping skipped. Had he really just heard that? His mind struggled to make sense of it, but he was far too tired to think. However, there was something urgent in that voice.

"Fight it Godric." THUMP! THUMP!

Again, the thumping skipped but it was settling into a much slower and steadier rhythm. He knew the voice now. It was Rowena. And something had her scared beyond all reason. She needed him to fight for her and here he was trying to sleep.

THUMP! THUMP!

This realisation hit Godric along with an enormous wave of pain. It thundered throughout his entire body making him want to scream, but something was pressing heavily on his lungs preventing them from getting the air he needed to do so.

"Godric?"

There was hope in the voice this time. Confusion settled over his mind as he tried to force the weight from his chest if he could just speak, reassure her that everything would be fine. But he could not move his arms; the weight seemed to be resting across his entire body. He could move nothing.

"Come on Godric, wake up please!"

Her voice was crystal clear in his ears as the thumping went into overdrive as though it sought to drown out her words. The pain continued to build but Godric fought against it. He had to fight it. For her, she needed him urgently.

Suddenly everything came into sharp focus as the weight was thrown from his body. He sucked furiously at the air stealing as much as he could, afraid the weight would return. He could feel his body again, though the pain still seared fiercely through it. Something was pressing against his hand but he could not open his eyes to see what it was. There was something wet dripping on his chest.

"Godric?"

He could hear her perfectly now her voice was like a soothing caress, _Rowena_ , he thought trying to force the thought through his closed lips. However, this effort seemed to drain all his strength and the darkness gripped him once more.

ϟ

Time did not exist. There was no sense of its passing. Everything was frozen in place. No rhythmic thumping to count. No struggle to breathe. And no sweet voice to hold him as he drifted. The pain had vanished too, leaving him alone in this void. His only company in this place was darkness, complete and utter, pressing in on him as though it sought to crush him with its vastness.

Godric twisted and struggled against it with all his might. However, he merely spun in place. He continued to struggle, searching for a way to escape. Escape to those who still needed him. And as though he had willed it into being, a small bright sphere of light appeared opposite him in the enormous space. It did not cast light out into the space; it was more like the darkness was choking it as it had been with him. Godric reached out but it remained firmly out of reach teasing him with its warmth.

A growl ripped from his throat as he fought with renewed vigour, forcing his way through the dark pulling himself to the light. It was taking every ounce of his strength but he was doing it. He was going to make it. He stretched out for it again reaching, hoping as it warmed his icy fingers as they began to close around the light. The second his fist closed the light flared out blinding him after the dark he had endured.

"He _is_." The angel had returned to him. "I saw him."

"Rowena, be patient, give him time."

Godric wanted to call to the voices but the pain had returned in full force pressing in on him fiercely. He focused completely on opening his eyes. He needed to see the face of his angel to help him win this fight. He willed his disobedient eyelids to rise struggling to lift their veil. Nothing had ever been more difficult in his entire life than lifting those thin layers of skin. Or more important.

"Doctor!" Her voice bolstered him. "Come quickly."

Something was wrong again. He needed to escape these bonds so he could help her. He renewed his efforts. A tiny sliver of light broke in through the minute crack he had created. He refused to stop as the light burned at him.

"He moved."

"Rowena."

This second voice obviously did not believe her. He was sure that it was the danger. He had to protect her from his lies. A fire burned in his chest as he forced all his will against his resisting lids. A huge flare burst out hitting him like an anvil. It took him a moment to realise what was causing this new pain. He finally realised that his eyes were wide open as the room slowly materialised out of the light.

"I know he moved," Rowena mumbled, clueing Godric into her location.

In that second he realised it had not been a light he had struggled so fiercely to reach before. It had been Rowena.

"Rowena." He whispered, wanting to reach out to her.

Her head whipped around and she stared deeply into his eyes. Everything slowed once more as Godric just looked at every feature on her face drinking of her beauty. She was as perfect as ever, apart from the lines of tears streaking down her cheeks. A light smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she stared at him. All the pain rushed out of his body as he watched her completely entranced.

"I love you." He whispered, watching the light smile break over her entire face, lighting the room better than any sun could ever hope to achieve.

"I love you too," Rowena replied, her voice sounded much fuller and brighter than anything he had heard in a long time.

"Where is everyone?" Godric asked as he struggled to sit up.

"Salazar is with Helga and Max. She's still pretty upset." She said a hint of pain in her voice.

"Is she hurt?" Godric begged a sudden fear clutching at him, though it seemed an echo of something deeper.

"No. She is fine. They are both fine, physically. Only a few cuts and bruises like me." She replied confusion evident on her face.

"Good." He breathed. He pulled himself up casting a quick look around the tent before continuing. "Can I speak with Max? I really need to ask him a few things."

Rowena did not reply this time, she just stared at him confusion written across her entire face.

"What's wrong?"

"Godric, Max is dead. You were there."

The pain that had subsided somewhat in Rowena's presence came crashing back down upon him with unstoppable force. The battle flared in his memory as he remembered watching Max fall. Feeling the life leave his body and the others trying to take him from his arms.

A tortured scream tore its way from his body, leaving wounds of its own on its way out, as he struggled vainly against the memory. The pain tore at him like a predator ripping apart its helpless prey. He begged for the darkness, open to its numbing embrace that had saved him this scorching torment. Rowena held him to her as he broke down. Not even her soothing touch could fight back the nightmare of the pain. He was truly broken and only one thing would heal him now. And he would have it.

"No Godric. You cannot get up yet. You'll tear your wounds." Rowena ordered as she tried to push him back into the bed.

"I don't care! I am going to kill Thomas and nothing is going to stop me. Where is he?" He demanded, still fighting to get up.

"What do you mean?" Rowena asked looking confused again.

"Isn't he chained up somewhere?"

"No Godric. He escaped."

"But Max caught him." He challenged his body going limp. "I remember that."

It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. He searched the images again, trying to decipher the puzzle.

"He ran off after Max fell. We couldn't stop him." Rowena's voice sounded full of guilt, as though she took the blame for helping Godric instead of stopping Thomas. "After he ran off all the skeletons just fell to pieces."

"So..." The words were stuck in Godric's throat, trying to choke him. "Max died, for nothing?"

"No! He died to save us. All of us. If he had not shown up when he did we would all have perished. He is a hero."

Godric's mind was so chaotic. Scenes of battle crashing around against memories of his childhood. Max had raised him as if he were his own son. Never once did he seem to regret his choice. Never had he complained. He had been a purely good soul. And Thomas had killed him. He had taken Godric's father for the second time. This time he was going to pay.

"Do we know where he went?" Godric asked a deep calm setting over him as he focused.

"Not yet, but the King has labelled him a traitor." Godric heard the word she had not said and was grateful she spared him that pain. "He won't have many places left to hide. Now just relax and get some rest. You will need your strength soon."

Rowena forced him back into the bed and he went without complaint. He felt empty again and had no strength left to fight her. She tucked him in and turned away and fear gripped at Godric as he grasped her arm.

"Don't leave. Please." He begged.

"I'm not. I am just grabbing my chair. It fell over when you woke up." She smiled settling into her chair and holding his hand once more.

ϟ

Godric woke to a weight resting on his chest and feared it had all been a dream. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the eyes of a large bird.

"Pyre?"

"I thought he could help," Helga said from his other side.

"Helga."

Relief swept through his entire body as he saw her tears streaked face. Even though he had believed Rowena that she was fine it still helped to see it with his own eyes.

"I did some reading before we left and apparently phoenix tears have healing powers. It took a little while to figure out how, but eventually, we managed to call Pyre here for you."

"But I still feel so sore. And I can't seem to sit up."

"That's probably because Rowena fell asleep across you. No surprise considering she has not slept since before the battle. And Pyre can only heal physical wounds."

Helga's eyes were brimming over with tears again. He could see that her father's death was still tormenting her, perhaps even more than it struck him.

"I'm so sorry Helga. I should have gotten to him faster. It's all my f..."

Helga slapped him roughly across the face stopping him dead. A dark fury filled her eyes as he stared at him.

"Don't you _ever_ say that again!" She commanded, tears flowing freely. "You did everything you could have. It is Thomas' fault and he is going to pay!"

In all their years together Godric had never seen Helga like this before. She looked like a mighty goddess, danger carved into all the beauty of her face, frozen in fury. But it passed as quickly as it had come, leaving behind the broken girl.

"Come here." He cooed softly holding out his arm to embrace her.

Helga collapsed into him unleashing all her feelings into him as she wept.

"We will both make him pay. We will avenge our father together."

Helga looked up for a moment in confusion before breaking down once more. Godric just held her close and let her grieve. He would not allow himself to do so until vengeance had been enacted.

ϟ

The angry scream reverberated through the stone halls striking fear into the hearts of any who heard it.

"Damn you Max, you interfering bastard!" Thomas yelled throwing a chair clear across the room. "More than two-thirds of my army destroyed just as we were about to achieve victory. If you were not already dead, I would kill you myself! I may just bring you back for the satisfaction anyway, once you're damned king is dead."

"Master."

Thomas whirled on his servant, hate radiating from his every feature. "WHAT!?"

"The army is assembled and awaits your instructions." His voice cracked with fear as he spoke.

"Anything else?"

"No my lord." The servant quivered.

"Then why are you still here?" Thomas screamed.

A second chair followed the servant from the room, smashing loudly against the wall outside.

"I'll show those damned fools who they are messing with. I will show them all. We attack tonight!" He roared laughing as he whisked from the room.

ϟ

The hills glowed red in the light of the setting sun as Rowena helped Godric from the medical tent. He was still sore and tired but refused to let Max wait any longer. As soon as the sun disappeared behind the hills, the funeral would begin.

"Come on Rowena. We will be late if we don't hurry up."

"They have waited three days already Godric. A few minutes won't make a difference."

Godric just glared at her as she sighed and quickened her pace.

"I don't know why you insist on helping me around. I'm fine."

"You were unconscious for nearly two days. Humour me."

"Alright." Godric sighed as they left the camp heading toward the crowd gathered out on the field.

The huge pyre had been erected earlier that morning and now sat with Max resting silently at its peak. There was a light pressure resting on Godric's shoulder as he watched, but he did not turn. He knew it was Pyre waiting for his part. Godric was flanked on his right by Rowena and her father and on his left by Helga and Salazar. Helga looked calm but Godric knew she was still suffering. He turned away to watch with everyone else as the shadow crept past them and rose up the mountainside.

As the light disappeared from the peak, Pyre took flight sweeping around in a huge arc, smouldering as he flew before plunging into the pile of wood and burst into flames. The fire took off fiercely, consuming Max in only a few minutes. Helga squeezed Godric's hand as they watched a single tear betraying her outward calm. Godric wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, as she gave into the grief once more.

A soft melodious cooing emanated from the fire as it burned. It seemed Pyre was mourning Max's death as well. All who heard the sombre tune were entranced by it. The song did not end until long after the sun had vanished completely and the sky was dark. There were no stars on this cloudy night. The only light came from the now dwindling fire they were gathered about.

A sudden tongue of flame shot up into the air where it exploded brightly illuminating everything from the mountains to the forest. The forest that was now spilling enemy troops all over the camp.

"To arms!" Someone called and the group leapt into action, grabbing weapons and rushing the surprised attackers.

Godric cursed under his breath as he realised he had left all his weapons in the tent as he watched the soldiers collide with the line of skeletons. Anger coursed through him, how could Thomas be so callous as to attack during a funeral. Red coloured his vision and he could hear the blood in his ears over the sounds of battle. The sharp ring of metal rending metal pierced the air, lit only by the dying embers and bright shots of light emanating from the attacking force. Godric tried to focus on the source but he became distracted as several skeletons noticed him and made for his position. Fear gripped him as he remembered he had no means of defending himself. He fumbled around his body searching for anything that could help him. He started as his fingers wrapped around something smooth and cold tucked away in his pocket.

Realisation and relief spread across his face along with a huge grin as he whipped out his wand and he blasted them away, giving him time to survey the scene afresh. Salazar and Rowena had taken up a defensive position protecting the king. Both had their wands drawn and were blasting away skeletons left and right. The king was frozen in place staring at his daughter a mingled look of horror and pride evident on his face. However, Helga was in more immediate danger. She had taken up the defence of her father's resting place with a mad determination. She looked truly fierce some as she cast spells wildly in all directions barely missing some of the soldiers, but she was still under imminent threat of being overrun.

Godric charged forward taking down anything that got in his way, blasting skeletons and dodging soldiers as he arrived by Helga's side. He was instantly in the zone, slinging out spells all over not needing to watch to see if they hit their mark. A small wall of bones began piling up around the pair as several soldiers jumped forward to help. Several bursts of light shot past Godric as he spun to the side to avoid a few arrows. He followed them to their source and spotted Thomas wading through the carnage felling soldiers and skeletons without hesitation. Godric followed his line and noticed he was headed straight for the king, and Salazar. And Rowena. He leapt after him anger coursing through him again.

"You got this handled?" He called to Helga as he passed her just catching her nod.

He closed the distance in no time at all but was not fast enough to beat the wall of skeletons that walled in the arena cutting him off from the four figures beyond.

ϟ

Fear and memories struck at Rowena as she stood with Salazar, facing down Thomas, trapped in their small clearing surrounded by skeletons. A vicious grin was embedded in Thomas' face as he stared them down.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favourite little traitor." Thomas chided, "How are things, Salazar? Your parents would be so very disappointed." Salazar just glared back a grim determination written on his face. "And Rowena. How delightful, it's been so long since we've had a chance to talk."

Rowena trembled slightly as the memories of her last talk sent a cold shiver down her spine. Her grip tightening on her wand as she stared back at Thomas, certain that her terror was clearly evident on her face.

"Shall we begin? I've waited a long time for this day and the two of you can't stop me now." Thomas laughed.

This finally broke Rowena's hesitation and spells began to flare back and forth between the trio as John watched on helpless to intervene as his daughter fiercely defended him.

ϟ

"Damn it!" Godric yelled as he ducked and dodged swipe after swipe as the wall of skeletons fought to keep him back. There were clearly too many for him to blast his way through and staying in close proximity was only putting his own neck in danger of severance. His eyes darted about the field as he twisted in and out of the blows, searching for anything that could turn things to his favour. He did notice that none of the skeletons pursed him at all; it was as if their only concern was to keep him from the melee unfolding behind their vigil.

He felt a few spells whisk over his shoulder as he ducked about and realised Helga must have noticed his plight and deigned to help. Finally, his eyes caught on something that may prove his saviour, a large kite shield lay at his feet in the severed hand of one of the king's soldiers. Whipping it up he deflected the incoming blows now standing his ground against the attacks looking for a weak spot in their line, somewhere, anywhere he could sneak through. He blasted skeleton after skeleton as he continued searching but every one that fell was replaced almost immediately, it was as though every skeleton on the field was now gathered between him and his friends, and one glance around would have shown how true this was, the skeletons were abandoning the fight to protect their master.

Helga was free to join Godric's side, but he only noticed because he could now hear her incantations in his ear, his focus was still on finding that one weak spot to exploit. And it came. A slightly deformed skeleton went for a killing strike as he popped his head above the shield and revealed a thin point in their line. Godric leapt for it smashing the skeleton aside with the shield and rolling between almost fifty swords coming to his feet just as a red light flared past his face and a thud behind him indicated a body falling to the earth.

A quick glance behind showed Salazar lying unmoving on the dirt, the king looking on in disbelief at the fight going on in front of him. As his eyes flicked forward again he saw that Helga had somehow slipped into the ring with him and was checking to make sure Rowena was ok. Concern and relief filled Godric as he saw she was still standing but he did not have time to make a thorough inspection for Thomas was recovering from the shock of the new combatants in his arena.

"I shouldn't be surprised; you have meddled in all my other plans. But no more this ends today."

A jet of light smashed into the shield twisting it around Godric's arm as he fought to through it to the ground and flicked his wand toward Thomas in retaliation. The duel flared once more with renewed intensity as Thomas fought back the three young enchanters, looking for his moment. The shield continued to twist and lengthen, eliciting a dull hissing as it formed something long and thin.

"I'm going to make you suffer for what you did to my father you bastard!" Helga screamed, firing of curses, trying to beat down Thomas' defences.

"Is that so? Perhaps you should be more concerned with your own safety then revenge."

A white flash sliced across Helga's chest drawing a thin line of blood as she fell backwards landing next to Salazar's prone body.

"Helga!" Rowena screamed as her friend dropped by her side but she could not go to her aid without lowering her own defences. Anger and hate started to cloud Godric's vision as he fired of curses trying vainly to breach his uncle's vigil. The rest of the world seemed to fade away around him until all that was left was his uncle's twisted grinning face. And that was when he realised his mistake.

Thomas had tricked him into losing focus, to ignoring his surroundings. His anger had blinded him to the debris of battle all around him. Something he became painfully aware of as the broken skeleton clutched his ankle and yanked him down to the ground. Terror gripped his heart as time slowed for him. He glanced back to see the hand grasping his foot, holding him down, a horrid smile on what was left of the creatures face. Beyond the skeleton, Helga was clutching her chest, blood seeping past her fingers as she fended off a large silvery snake that was trying to attack her and Salazar. A look of absolute horror was etched into the Kings face as he watched his only daughter standing alone in front of a murderer.

Thomas laughed and waved his wand at Rowena, who had dropped her guard as Godric had gone down. Their eyes met and in that second time seemed to stop completely. He could see the apology deep within her eyes, as she accepted the inevitable, sending him her silent goodbye. Emotion surged through Godric and time flashed back into existence as his wand flicked out of its own accord, foreign words ripping past his lips.

The huge lion burst forth, more solid than Godric had ever seen it. It was between Rowena and Thomas before the spell had even left Thomas' wand, and the lion swallowed it whole without hesitation, before charging Thomas and knocking him and his wand flying. It came down heavily on top of his form, its large paw snapping his wand under its massive weight and resting itself on Thomas, pinning him down.

A sudden breeze whooshed over Godric's shoulder as he kept his wand trained on Thomas, as he surveyed the scene around him. Rowena stood, unharmed by her father who was looking at the giant lion in absolute fear. Helga was reviving Salazar, who immediately went about fixing the gash spreading across her chest. It was only after he saw all three were ok that he noticed that the line of skeletons surrounding them had collapsed, destroyed as Thomas spell subsided with the crushing of his wand. He looked at his ankle and saw it was free once more. He stood slowly and approached Thomas' quivering form.

"Don't move." He ordered power evident in every syllable as Thomas stared at him in fear. "Or I will kill you."

"Still don't have the stomach to do what's necessary Godric? If you had killed me when you had the chance, Max would still be alive." He started to laugh but was silenced as Godric kicked him in the jaw.

"Don't you ever speak his name again! He was a million times the man you are. It is only because of him that I will not kill you. He wouldn't want me to sink to your level." Godric spat.

He glanced over his shoulder at his friends, the soldiers were only checking to see that the king was safe but Godric's concern was for his friends, he realised how important all three of them were to him at that moment, and how much it would hurt them for him to become a murderer like Thomas.

"No, I can think of a much better punishment for you than death. Life."

Thomas just stared in disbelief. "How is that...?"

"Worse? Because you do not deserve the release that death offers. You deserve to stay locked in a cell with nothing to do but dwell on the chaos and destruction you have wrought, to live knowing it is only through the mercy of those whose lives you tried to destroy. To know you forever owe your life to those you hate."

"Godric, he killed your parents. He killed my father. We can't just let him get away with that." Helga stated coming up behind him.

"He has to pay for his crimes," Salazar added, limping at Helga's side

"I know but if we kill him then he wins. We become what we hate. Max wouldn't want us to become him."

"Maybe you should take some time to think about this Godric." Rowena soothed running her hand up his wand arm.

"No, I know the path I must take. I'll not take his life in revenge; I nearly lost everything through anger."

The silvery lion faded on the soft wind sweeping across the field dropping the area into darkness. Muffled moans could be heard from the ground as footsteps rushed forward. A sudden piercing light erupted from the end of Godric's wand, illuminating the soldiers rushing forward to stop Thomas' escape only to stop and stare. Thomas now lay bound and gagged on the ground as Godric walked over to the king.

"I hereby hand this prisoner to you, your Highness. His fate I now leave in your hands." And with that, he turned and walked back towards his tent, everyone staring at his back in disbelief.

* * *

 ** _The End (officially abandoned until further notice)._**

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's all there is, there isn't anymore.

I may, someday, return to this story but the inspiration has long since vanished.

Reading through as I posted it here I was shocked at the sheer amount of spelling and grammar issues my early writing had, not to mention the very cliched nature of the story itself. And the sheer amount of repetitive word use. I cringe. I truly hope that my current works have progressed to a more readable state.

Regardless, I hope those of you who made it all the way through still found it to be worth the time you dedicated to it.

If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them. I shall not remove any comments on this work (unless they breach the site rules).


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